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lukeaRuKem 3D truly looks^f 
:e a 3D supermodel of a 
me: sleek, sexy, and gory 


“It makes pretty much every 
PC game we’ve ever seen - 
Doom included - look slightly 


means that pretty much any- 
thing goes in Duke Nukem 3D 

— Edge Magazine 




Prepare Yourself for the 
Ultimate 3D Slugfest 


Ass-stompin’ aliens have landed, and the humans sud- 
denly find themselves atop the endangered species 
list. The odds are a million-to-one, but Duke Nukem 
knows what’s got to be done — KICK ALIEN BUTT! 


FANTASTIC 3D REALMS, with stunning, realistic 
graphics, await you as you thrash aliens through the 
streets of L.A., out to an orbiting space station, and 
onto the surface of the moon itself! 


INNOVATIVE BUILD 30™ ENGINE TECHNOLOGY 
lets you explore an interactive, fully virtual world of 
towering skyscrapers, deep canyons, and murky 
bodies of water — complete with sloping sur- 
faces, realistic earthquakes, functional subways, 
and many never-before-seen special effects. 


ARMED TO THE TEETH, you brandish your fully 
automatic sidearm, rocket launcher, pipebombs, 
and an assortment of awesome hi-tech weaponry 
that'll make your bones rattle and send the alien 
bastards to a bloody grave. 




»\ FULL MOVEMENT CONTROL lets you run, jump, 
crawl, swim, and jetpack your way through hostile 
environments as you look up and down from any 
vantage point to survey the situation around you. 


»V DYNAMIC COMM-BAT™ SYSTEM lets you duke it out 
one-on-one via modem, and enables up to 8-player 
battlefests over your network. Also, send prerecorded 
taunts to your human opponents via Duke’s unique 
REMOTE RIDICULE SYSTEM™. 


V. TOTAL IMMERSIVE ENTERTAINMENT is guaranteed by state-of- 
the-art 3D graphics [including optional SVGA hi-res modes) and 
hot 3D sound FX and stereo music. 

In Duke Nukem 3D, you can’t avoid steppin’ in the blood. 

* Just don't drop your gloves! 


Developed by 3D Realms Entertainment. Distributed by FormGen, Incorporated. 
All rights reserved,. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 





i u 


L^spjssing, 


FOR MORE DETAILS, MAKE TRACKS 
TO YOUR LOCAL SOFTWARE RETAILER, 


REALITY IS OUR GAME. 


WWW Site (http://www.3drealms.com) CIS (Keyword REALMS) Software Creations BBS (508) 368-7036 


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Office. Screen images copyright© 1995 FASA Corporation. All rights reserved. Activision Is o registered trademark ol Activision, Inc. 


HEAD-GEAR 


• COMFORTABLE ERGONOMIC DESIGN 


For IBM PC compatibles. 

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E C01PETITI 


WE QUIETLY WENT AND 
SET NEW ONES. 



The New MultiSync® M Series Monitors 
With Revolutionary CromaClear'" CRT Technology. 

While the others have been content to merely 

change their monitors, we were bent on changing the 

entire industry. Introducing the Multisync M Series 

monitors from NEC - a new generation of monitors 

that will forever change your expectations regarding 

image quality. 

The MultiSync M500'" and M700 " monitors are the 
first to incorporate CromaClear, NEC’s patented new 
CRT technology. Similar in design to that found in 
today’s televisions, CromaClear lets you view text, 
graphics and video with enhanced focus, greater color 
Designed for saturation, better contrast and increased 
depth and dimension. Simply put, you'll 

Microsoft 

windows 95 enjoy the brightest, sharpest, clearest 




images in the industry - just what you’ve come to 
expect from NEC. 

What’s more, our Video Boost feature automatically 
sets the monitor screen to the optimal contrast and 
brightness level for viewing TV and video images. 
Built-in speakers allow you to customize sound 
for movie, music, games and voice 
conferencing applications. There’s even 
a built-in microphone. 

In addition to PC and Macintosh- 
compatibility, the MultiSync M Series 
monitors feature Plug and Play 
compatibility for Windows® 95 and are 
backed by a 3-year limited warranty. 

The MultiSync M Series monitors from NEC. 
Think of them less as new monitors, more as the 
standard by which all others will be judged. To 
learn more about either the MultiSync M500 or 
M700 monitors, call 1-800-NEC-INFO. To have the 
information sent to you by fax, simply call 
1-800-366-0476 and request document #157201. Or 
contact us on the Internet at http://www.nec.com. 

SEE, HEAR AND FEEL THE DIFFERENCE.'- 



Circle Reader Service H1 13 


of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. GSA #GS00K94AG5241PS01. o 1996 NEC Technologies, Inc. 


Key #27549. 




D eadlock puts the 
future of an 
entire alien race 
on the player’s 
shoulders in a high stakes, win- 
ner-take-all race for planetary 
control. Denny Atkin discovers 
that the new multi-player 
build, research and con- W* 

quer game is a combina- ^ 

tion of M.U.L.E., SimCity, jjjM 

and Civilization. K 





« 





’ 









63 Starcheat Academy 


I t's open enrollment time for Computer Gaming 
World's Space Academy, the ideal place to 
improve your survival skills in the latest science fic- 
tion combat arenas and adventures. This year's 
recruits will be offered seminars and laboratory ses- 
sions on the following games: 

64 Wing Commander IV: 

The Price Of Freedom 

74 MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear’s Legacy 
80 Chronomaster 



A 


cc 


HAY 1996 





SECTIONS 


\ 


TECHNOLOGY 

93 Loyd Case 

Use The Right Video Card 
Drivers For Win 95 
Performance 
100 Game Design Diary 

Alan Lenton Solves Timing 
Problems For Explorer 
103 Paul Schuytema 

How To Hack Duke Nukem 


CLASSICS/PUZZLES 

167 Terry Coleman 

Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess 
and Virtual. Chess 


SPORTS 

171 George Jones 


What Sports Games 
Really Need 
3D silk Power Play Hockey by Gordon Goble 


ADVENTURE/ 

ROLE-PLAYING 

111 Scorpia 

I Have No Mouth And I Must 


481 , Special PlayStation 
Supplement 

182 The PlayStation vs. The PC 

by Dave Salvator 



Scream (Hints) 

120 Mission: Critical by Martin Cirblis 
125 Bad Day on the 

Midway by Mark Clarkson 



129 Stonekeep (Hints) by Pairs Schlunh 
136 Riddle of Master Lu Hints & Tips 

by Arinn Dembo 

ACTION 

M3 Peter Olafson 

Velocity's Strife Previewed 
150 Duke Nukem's Cousins Behind The 
Screens at Apogee m Ken Bra™ 
156 Road Warrior liy Mark Clarhson 
160 Hyper 3D Pinball, Pinball World 
and Pinball WiZZard by #rinn Dembo 



187 Action on the PlayStation 
193 Sports on the PlayStation 
196 Strategy on the PlayStation 

by Peter Olafson 


SIMULATION 

199 Denny Atkin 

Patching Your Old Flight Sims 
L '202 Top Gun by Robin G. Kim 

STRATEGY/WARGAMES 

207 Terry Coleman 

Napoleon Returns To 
The Computer 

.'212 , CyberStorm by scott May 

218 Space Bucks by Martin Cirnlis 




^DEPARTMENTS 


12 Credits Who are these folks who write for CGW? 

M Just The FflQs Answers to frequently asked questions 
20 Johnny Wilson Games aren’t just for kids 
26 Letters What you really think 

32 Read. Me Computer gaming news 
48 Game Track A look at what's cool coming your way 

242 Hall of Fame Great games ot all time 

243 Patches A list of game files to kill bugs dead 

244 Top 100 Games Readers rate the top games 

246 Martin Cirulis What's the deal with science fiction? 


MAY 1996 


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©1995 Oceon of America, Inc. © 1995 Digital Image Design, All trademarks are the properly of their registered owners. 
Psycho Kitty Advertising created this and Grant Walaru Horiuchi look the cool photo. 



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INTRODUCING THE FIRST VR GLASSES THAT GO TO YOUR HEAD. 
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Don’t just rockets, 
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SBIG A SONG TO THEM, 



THEN 


TATTOO 


Oil THEIR 


YOUR 


EICEE2 

Hi 

M 




Microsoft 


TO CO TODA 


INITIALS 



You play games like a natural born gamer. 
Enveloped in digital optical technology, 
you fire with the accuracy of an eagle 
packing high powered binoculars. 
Every minuscule move you make is 
transmitted quickly down the line of fire. 
Every handle rotation, a new twisted 
SideWinder ,M 3D Pro gamer viewpoint. 
You and the joystick are one. 
And this is one joystick that never begs for mercy, 
as its optical tracking system has no moving parts 
to grind or molest. 
Bullets curse when they miss, listen. 
It’s a phenomenon known only by those who choose 
a joystick that needs no re— calibration 
and tracks you at the speed of light. 
This is the jet black void of the gaming experience. 
This is the Sidewinder 3D Pro joystick, compatible 
with all MS-DOS 1 *'- based and Windows' 9 5 -based games, 
the elder of the Sidewinder joystick family. 
All the dexterity of a gaming demigod is yours to 
call upon, and with one finger you vent retribution 
on every shiny dark destructive heart. 





t 


CREDITS 


A 



At the ripe old age ol 23, 
Elliott Chin is the junior 
member of the CGW staff— 

I but we like it that way. With 
an abundance of energy and 
almost unerring gaming 
. instinct, he assists the CGW 
greybeards by doing what they can’t, like 
playing fighting games and opening child- 
proof containers. Elliott never thought that the 
countless hours he spent playing Civ and 
Empire would have paid off, but now he is 


CGW' s Strategy/Wargames Editor and 
PlayStation specialist. A "gamer of-all-trades,” 
Elliott relaxes by badgering troops in strategy 
games, pulverizing enemies in space combat 
sims, or beating up the reflex-challenged in 
his favorite fighting games. Of course, all play 
and no work would make Elliott an extremely 
happy person, so the senior editorial staff 
pays close attention to his workload, and then 
triples it. His non-gaming hobbies include 
building an impressive Lego armada that will 
one day rule the New World. 


lip*? j;-f 


Peter Olafson is a veteran 
gamer and long-time contrib- 
utor to CGW. The former 
games editor of the late 

Amiga World, Peter secretly 
harbors five Amigas in hal- 

1 home. Married to New York Times columnist 


Evelyn Nieves, he is currently working on two 
teleplays and is the author of Final Fantasy III 
and Thunderscape strategy guides. Beginning 
this month, he takes over as the new action- 
games columnist, donning the crimson robe 
of the High Priest of Action. In addition, Peter 
researched and wrote most of the material for 
this month's Sony PlayStation supplement. 



I Gordon Goble, a con- 
I fessed sports junkie, is also 
I an aficionado of reflex-test- 
I ing simulations of all kinds. 

I When he’s not cruisin' the 
Net to get scoring updates 
] for his hockey pool, Gordon 
is busy hot-wiring his Pentium to run the lat- 
est racing simulators and sports games. 
Formerly an agent for a professional auto rac- 


ing team, he now runs his own one-man 
desktop publishing business in Vancouver, 
B.C. First turned on to computer racing with 
Indianapolis 500, Gordon continues to seek 
substance over style in his pursuit of the ulti- 
mate digital sports experience. If it weren’t for 
Papyrus, Electronic Arts and MicroProse, he 
would probably be spending all of his free 
time at the tennis courts or gym. 


Scott A. May has surfed 
the electronic gaming wave 
since the early ‘80s, playing 
on such diverse platforms as 
the IntelliVision, Commodore 
64, Amiga, Genesis, 

Nintendo and IBM compati- 
bles. To support his electronic-gaming addic- 
tion, Scott resorted to lengthy writing sen- 
tences at Commodore, Compute, 


VideoGames and SMART magazines, and has 
penned two weekly newspaper columns for 
nearly 10 years. But despite his efforts in the 
12-step rehabilitation program, Scott has 
been unsuccessful in breaking his computer 
habit. Now, determined to help others, Scott 
works as a computer consultant and a busi- 
ness software instructor. When not working or 
forraging for tubers, legumes and tofu, Scott 
enjoys painting, music and serial monogamy. 



Petra Schlunk avoided her 
graduate studies by playing 
computer games; primarily, 
role-playing games where 
she slipped into an alter ego, 
j then blamed that same ego 
1 for eating her homework. 
Petra also enjoys strategy games; which may 
explain why she attends board-, card- and 
computer-game conventions in L.A. She con- 
siders herself a hobby author, having written 


several articles for CGW and The Electronic 
Roadhouse, as well as authoring strategy 
guides for King’s Quest VII and Master of 
Magic. Along with her husband, former CGW 
Wargames Contributing Editor Alan Emrich, 
Petra is busy raising their daughter, Avalon. 
But she still seeks that all-immersive magical 
interlude of a small, intricate game world 
where she can escape for a time. In other 
words, the girl just wants to have fun. 



PUBLISHER 

Jonathan Lane 


EDITORIAL 


Editor-in-Chief 
Managing Editor 
Features Editor 
Reviews Editor 
Technical Editor 
Associate Editor, News 
On-Line Editor/AOL 
Assistant Editors 

She Who Must Be Obeyed 
Editorial Intern 
Contributing Editors 


Founder 


Johnny Wilson 
Ken Brown 
Denny Atkin 
Terry Coleman 
Dave Salvator 
Jill M. Anderson 
Kate Hedstrom 
Allen Greenberg 
Elliott Chin 
Charlotte Panther 
AmyNg 

Scorpia (Adventure Games) 
Charles Ardai (Interactive Fiction) 
Loyd Case (Technology) 

Martin Cirulis (Science Fiction) 
Peter Olafson (Action Games) 
Paul Schuytema (Game Design) 
Russell Sipe 


DESIGN 

Art Director Edwin C. Malstrom 
Graphic Artist Jack Rodrigues 


PRODUCTION 

Production Manager Steve Spingola 
Production Coordinator Martin Walthall 


HOW TO CONTACT THE EDITORS 

Address questions and feedback to CG Editorial, 135 Main St., 14th 
Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. Or you may contact us via: 
Phone:(415)357-4900 
Editorial Fax: (415) 357-4977 
CompuServe: (76703,622) 

America On-Line: CGW 
Prodigy: EXPT40B 
GEnie: CGW 

Internet: 76703.622@compuserve.com 
Web site; http://www.zd.com/~gaming 


ADVERTISING SALES 

Advertising Director 
LeeUniacke (415)357-4915 
East Coast District Sales Manager 
Cathy Conway (61 7) 393-3691 
East Coast Sales Assistant 
Jayme Angell (617) 393-3681 
Account Representative 
Marci Yamaguchi (415) 357-4920 
Marketing Coordinator 
Cathy Lin (415)357-4935 
Advertising Coordinator 
Linda Philapil (415)357-4930 
Sates Assistant 
Linda Fan (415)357-5425 


HOW TO CONTACT ADVERTISING SALES 

Address inquiries to CG Advertising, 135 Main St., 14th Floor, San 
Francisco, CA 94105; or call (415) 357-5425, fax (415) 357-4999. 

SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES/ADDRESS CHANGES 

For subscription service questions, address changes or ordering information, call 
(303) 665-8930 or fax (303) 604-7455 within the U.S. and Canada. All other coun- 
tries call (303) 604-7445 or fax (303) 604-0540. or write to Computer Gaming. P.0. 
Box 57167, Boulder. CO 80322-3131. The subscription rate is $27.94 for one year 
(12 issues). Canada and all other countries add S16 lor postage Airmail subscrip- 
tions are $78 per year. Canadian GST registration number is R140496720. Payment 
must be in U.S. dollars made by check or money order drawn upon a 
U.S. bank. Visa, MasterCard, AMEX accepted. 


BACK ISSUES 

For back issues (subject to availability), send $7 per issue (S8 outside the United States) 
by check or money order to Back Issues Dep't . ZiM-Davts Publishing Co.. P.Q Box 53131. 
Boulder. CO 80322-3131. 



Elictrmie Arts pf 


th, 


4 Ultra-realistic 
super-smooth 
scrolling pinball 
tables from the 
award-winning 
development teami 
Epic MegaGames* 


Multi-level 
playf ields 
filled with 
exciting pinball 
devices* Up to 
b balls in 
play at once* 


SGI-rendered 3D 
animated dot 
matrix sequences* 
Digital sound 
effects and music 
that brings each 
table to life* 


1 







Enjoy 1-4 player 
pinball action 
for PC CD-ROM or 
Sony Playstation. 


"The greatest 
pinball game 
of all time" 
PC Gamer 


The “new pinball 
wizard. * * it 
rocks!” 

Strategy Plus 








ELECTRONIC ARTS l»®» 


Download the shareware version today 
from http://www.epicgames.com 
Visit your local software retailer or call 
Epic MegaGames at 1-600-472-7434 to order. 

1996 &y' Epic f.’egaGaros EfecroV; Arts and ra HA lego are lejsaed tadsnwW ci Bacocnc A® 



JUST THE FAQS 


r 


T hese are answers to questions we frequently hear from j question, “Why doesn’t the $#&*!! CD-ROM work on my com- 
our readers. Unfortunately, we are not able to answer the I puter?” because we don’t approve of language like “$#&*!!” 





within the Primary Blunders 
“Surprise Attraction.” And you may 
exit the "Surprise Attraction" at any 
time by first clicking on the “Back" 
button, then clicking on the 
“Home" button. 

How Do I Access The 
Demos? 

To view the demos, click on EDI- 
TORS' HOT PICKS or PRODUCT 
DEMOS to view the selection. Next, 
click on your favorite genre: Action, 
Adventure/Role Playing or 
Strategy/Wargames, then click on 
the title of your interest. Each demo 
has instructions for its installation. 

How Do I Get The 
Patch Files? 

Click on PATCHES under the CGW 
FEATURES, then read the text win- 
dow with instructions on copying 
the files to your hard drive. You can 
also access the patches from your 
DOS prompt by typing D:\PATCHES 
(where D: is the letter of your CD- 
ROM drive) and copy them directly 
from there to your hard drive. 

How Do I Get The 
CG-ROM? 

Newsstand issues come in two vari- 
eties: some with and some without 
the CD. Each type is clearly 
marked-if you can’t find the version 


Blunders, where you can find the 
complete, un-cropped pictures of 
Cyberdreams’ I Have No Mouth And 
I Must Scream, as well as the 
Missing Su-27 Flanker Mission. 
When you’re finished flying and 
fighting, it’s frag time. Strap on the 
first level of Duke Nukem 3-D and 
kick some alien can in this 
FormGen/3D Realms demo created 
exclusively for CGW. 


In addition to our Duke Nukem 
demo, you'll also find two more 
Editors’ Hot Picks: Sierra’s Space 
Bucks and l-Motion’s Virtual Chess. 
Other demos this month include 
Allied General, Earthworm Jim, 
Conquest of the New World, 
Descent II, Renegade Return and 
Fantasy General— a CGW nominee 
for best Strategy Game of the 
Year. 


How Do I Use It? 

Our CD is a Windows pro- 
gram. If you have Windows 
95, installation is simple-the 
CD is Autoplay enabled. Just 
“Lock ‘n’ load." Otherwise, 
from Windows 3.x, pop the 
CD into your drive, select RUN 
from the Program Manager’s 
menu and type D:\RUN-ME 
(where D is the letter of your 
CD-ROM drive) to run it 
straight from the CD, just type 
D:\INSTALL to create a CGW pro- 
gram group on your Windows desk- 
top. If you have installed previous 
versions of the CG-ROM, this disk 
will use the program group already 
on your desktop. You navigate by 
pointing and clicking just as you 
would in any other Windows pro- 
gram. You can access any of the 
“Main Attraction" items (such as 
Product Demos or Patches) from 


What's On The CD? 

Exclusives, exclusives, exclusives. 
This month we have three of them, 
plus the Su-27 mission missing 
from our March CD. First up, this 
month’s CG-ROM theme is Film 
Noir. Today, game designers have 
expanded their gaming venues 
back to the age of grainy, black- 
and-white films, which depicted a 
dark and gritty world, populated 
with cold truths, hard facts and vile 
gangsters. Cyberdreams pulled all 
the stops to give us an early exclu- 
sive demo of its game, Noir. The 
complete, fully-interactive game, 
filmed at various locations with live 
actors, is expected to be released 
by this fall. Next, the Not-Ready-For- 
Multimedia-Players (read: CGW 
staff) bring you our lighthearted 
parody of the genre in: Primary 


ce 


HAY 1996 







MULTI-PLAYER, 


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Circle Reader Service H75 


v j 




our mission is to unravel the m ys tery 
ehind the Majestic’s star-crossed voyage, 
lajestic'' Part 1: Alien Encounter is now at 
your favorite retailer 

or call 1-800-PIRANHA. 


PIRANHA 


Piranha : Interactiye^Publishing, Inc.' 
1839 W Drake, Suite B, Tempo, AZ 85283 
Phone: 602.1(91.0500 Fax1602.491.8990 


Circle Reader Service #293 


games which emphasize spa- 
tial relationships, word games 
and/or problem-solving without 
requiring gamers to follow a 
storyline. Examples would be: 
Shanghai, Tetris and Zig-Zag. 

Role-Playing (RP): RPGs 
are a subset of adventure 
games, but stress character 
development, often through 
improving stats or other attrib- 
utes. Conversations with non- 
player characters (NPCs) and 
tactical combat are generally 
more important than in 
Adventure games. Finally, the 
game world tends to be large, 
and the plot less linear, often 
with some quests/treks outside 
the main storyline. 

Simulations (SI): Highly 
realistic games from a first-per- 
son perspective: you may drive 
a realistically simulated race 
car, fly a military aircraft with a 
meticulous physics model, or 
swoop through a detailed sci- 
fi environment. Usually poly- 
gon-filled technology is used 
to build the simulated world on 
the fly. 


Sports (SP): The sports 
game category is a broad 
genre which includes action 
(NBA Live) and strategy games 
(Front Page Sports Football 
Pro) based on sports. 

Strategy (ST): Problem- 
solving, short- and long-range 
planning are the keys here. 
These games almost always 
emphasize resource and risk 
management. This genre 
includes conflict-based sci-fi 
and fantasy games (X-COM, 
Outpost, MOO), as well as 
‘'pure" strategy games and 
"software toys” such as 
SimCity. 

Wargames (WG): A subset 
of strategy games, these recre- 
ate historical conflicts from a 
command perspective. They 
may be tactical, operational, or 
strategic, and stress anything 
from logistics and firepower to 
morale and leadership. They 
may be simple (Panzer 
General, Empire II) to incredibly 
detailed and complex (Pacific 
WAR).< fc 


Outstanding: 

The rare game 
that gets it all 
right. The graph- 
ics, sound, and 
gameplay come 
together to form a 
Transcendent 
Gaming 

Experience. Our 
strongest buying 
recommendation. 


you want in the store you fre- 
quent, encourage your retailer 
to carry it (or subscribe to 
ensure you get a copy every 
month). To subscribe, simply 
call 303-665-8930, and specify 
that you want the CD-ROM ver- 
sion. 


How Do We 
Classify Games? 

Action/Arcade (AC): The 
emphasis is on hand-eye coor- 
dination and reflexes, usually 
emphasizing fast play over 
story or strategy. 

Adventure (AD): Games 
wherein you control an alter 
ego and move through a story- 
line or sequence of events, 
where puzzle-solving takes 
precedence over conversation 
and combat. 

Classics/Puzzies (CP): 
Classics are old stand-bys and 
parlor games that appeal to 
many different types of gamer. 
Examples include: backgam- 
mon, bridge, chess, Monopoly, 
parchesi, Risk, and Solitaire. 
Puzzle games are computer 


Abysmal: The 

rare game that 
gets it all wrong. 
This is reserved 
for those products 
so buggy, incom- 
plete or valueless 
that you wonder 
why they were 
ever released. 


HOW 


Very Good: A 

high-quality game 
that succeeds in 
many areas. May 
have minor prob- 
lems, but is still 
worth your time 
and money, espe- 
cially if you’re 
interested in the 
subject matter or 
genre. 


CG 


DO WE RATE? 


Average: A 

mixed bag. Can 
be a game that 
reaches for the 
stars, but falls 
short in signifi- 
cant areas. Can 
also be a game 
that does what it 
does well, but 
lacks flair or origi- 
nality. 


Weak: A game 
with serious prob- 
lems. Usually 
buggy, seriously 
lacking in play 
value, or just a 
poorly-conceived 
game design— 
and you will want 
to think long and 
hard before buy- 
ing it. 




nD on tfjc 3 l b Dap, 


3[/c split to itlaui. 



ZDon't forget 
to ferb tljc f i s 1} . 




* & 


V. All Righto R. 



YOU 





INTRODUCING 



Windows 95, DOS and Macintosh 
CD-ROM 


c: THE LAST WORD IN SIMS. 


Welcome to Afterlife. The first world-building 
siniulalion that lets you manage two prime planes of 
“unreal estate”— heaven and hell— simultaneously. 
Possessed of an unearthly sense of humor, it all begins 
in a God-knows-where galaxy. There, billions of departed 
souls hunger for you to give them what they deserve. 

Stall with the Pearly Gates of Heaven 
or the Fiery Gales of Hell, /.one in blocks of deadly 
Sins or goodly Virtues and build some roads. 

Soon, the dearly departed arrive in droves. 



ZJiSASTEBSof divine 

PROPORTION INCLUDE DlSCO INFERNO 

(pictured), Hell in a Handbasket 
and Heaven Nose. 




^DuiLD and manage two planes, 

HEAVEN AND HELL, SIMULTANEOUSLY. 


Keep them h appy and you flourish. 

Lose too many along the way and it’s a visit from 
the Four Surfers of the Apoealypso (not a good time). 

Factor in a half-dozen or so disasters (not including 
total annihilation), money problems, lost souls, 
headaches on the planet below, and things 
gel complicated in a hurry. 

With over 200 artistically rendered rewards, 
nearly 300 detailed tiles and buildings, more maps, 
graphs and charts than you can shake a pitchfork at, 
plus the most sophisticated engine of any sim game 
beginning with the letter “A,” you’ve got 
infinite hours of game-play. 

A f lerlile: Reach the end or die trying. 


Seep 


■* SOULS HAPPY BY PROVIDING 
THEM WITH THE REWARDS AND 
PUNISHMENTS THEY EXPECT, INCLUDING 

Eternal Afternoon, Tooth or 
Dare and Dreamadise (pictured). 





Jasper wormsworth and aria 
Coodhalo help you keep track of 

YOUR SUCCESSES AND FAILURES. 


http://www.lucasarts.com 


Jfc 


OLLOW THE HIGHS AND LOWS 
OF INDIVIDUAL SOULS THROUGH 
THE SOULVIEW FEATURE. 


Circle Reader Service H1 18 





JOHNNY WILSON 




More Ammo For Computer Gamers 
Dealing With Media Misinformation 


Not Just 
For Kids 


here it 
was in 
black and 
white. It 
was fea- 
tured front 
page, sec- 
ond sec- 
tion in The San Francisco Chronicle, a 
metropolitan daily that should have 
known better. They've been following 
the technology beat long enough to 
know the difference between a com- 
puter game and a video game. Yet, 
there was the headline indicating that 
violence would play a major role in a 
"computer game" for children. Worse, 
two paragraphs into the article, the 
author stated that the game’s premise 
was like most computer game 
design-impossible to comprehend 
by anyone over the age of 12. Even 
worse, if a reader bothered to slog 
through the entire story, move past the 
page turn and reach the end, he or 
she would discover that the article 


“Live-action 
sequences part 
of computer 
game designed 
for children” 


so ignorant with their coverage. 

One wouldn’t have to do much 
research to find out that there are 
plenty of people over. the age of 12 
who understand computer games, 
since the average game buyer is 
30-31 years old. Not only that, but 
the average subscriber to Computer 
Gaming World is 35 years old. I’d 
hate to think that all of you above 
the age of 12 don’t understand 
what we’re writing about. Indeed, 


since all of us on the editorial staff 
are above the age of 12, I’d hate to 
think that we don’t know what we’re 
talking about. 


‘It was the making of a 
computer game called 
‘Steel Harbinger’ 
which, like most com- 
puter games, defies 
explanation to anyone 
over the age of 12.” 


Real Actors Star in Fantasy Cyber 

- Live-action sequences 
part of computer game 
designed lor children 


wasn't about a computer game at all. 
It was about a video game. 

It's hard to believe editors at the 
San Francisco Chronicle would be 


very wrong. We have ample 
research to disprove this ignorant 
assertion. However, the Chron’s 
sloppy “journalism" is such an 
endemic error of faux sophistica- 
tion, such a Ires chic fallacy, that 
it’s once again time for our semi- 
annual sermon on why it’s not only 
okay for adults to play, but neces- 
sary. Those of you 
who've previously 
attended these 
Gamers’ Liberation 
Movement rallies 
via my editorials 
can be excused. Of 
course, we could 
use a few hundred 
thousand of you in 
the choir. 

Play is not child- 
ishness. Play is not foolishness. 
Play is not necessarily frivolous, 
though it can be. Indeed, play is 
not even necessarily dangerous, 
though it can be. Play is prepara- 
tion for life. The reason play is 
often considered childish is 
because children play. This, how- 
ever, requires one to commit the 
common fallacy of hasty gener- 
alization. Children play. Games 





The world's great Men-of-War sail 
again ... and you're in command! 

tep aboard Avalon Hill's new Wooden Ships & 
Iron Men and take command of the mightiest 
American, British, French and Spanish 
warships deployed during the American Revolution 
and Napoleonic Eras. 

Outmaneuver your opponent and rake him with your long 
guns and carronades. Then close the range, grapple your 
ship to the enemy's and capture him by boarding action. 

Lead Admiral Nelson's fleet into battle at Trafalgar in his 
beloved Victory. Take on the Serapis with John Paul Jones' 
Bonhonnne Richard. Choose from 17 historical ship-to-ship 
and fleet scenarios or Design Your Own! Also included is 
'The Campaign Game" which tests your mettle and tactical 
acumen in realistic naval engagements that shaped a 
glorious new country. 


Awash with naval drama and suspense. 

Wooden Ships & Iron Men can be played solitaire, 
"hot-seated" with a friend on the same computer, or play 
via E-mail against an opponent oceans away. And when 
you take command, just remember . . . 

Don't Give Up the Ship! 


Wooden Ships & Iron Men (Order No. 4070959) rims on 
IBM PC CD-ROM and compatible systems and can be 
sighted at leading computer game stores: Babbages, Best 
Buy, CompUSA, Computer City, Egghead, Electronics 
Boutique, Fry's, Micro Center, Software Etc., Walden's 
Software, and independent retailers worldwide, or call 
1-800-999-3222. Ask for dept. CGW12. 




Experience 3-dimensional action. 



Check the status of your hull, guns, 
sails and crew. 


The Avalon Hill Game Company 


fW; 


-ry | UOM | STANI.KY 

DIVISION (.)!•' MONARCH AVAI.ON. INCAS 1 7 iftfflonl Road. Balliimuv. MI) 21214 • I -800-990-3222 • I I0 2S4 0 200 r ASSOCIATE 

Circle Reader Service U167 


* 



are play. Therefore, games are for 
children. That’s the equivalent of say- 
ing that all Germans are Nazis, all 
Irishmen are terrorists, and all editors 
are arrogant. 

Children play to try on roles, to 
imagine possibilities, to experience 
the exhilaration of competition and its 
consummate reward of success. The 
same is true with all of life. 
Professional writers play with words; 
professional businessmen play with 
business plans; professional soldiers 
play with simulations; and profession- 

U Those 
who are afraid 

to play are 
people who 
are afraid to 
I grow. 77 

al artists play with stone, paint, clay 
and junk. Prior to presidential 
debates and news conferences, I am 
told that it is standard procedure to 
role-play the event. Prior to my one 
and only network television appear- 
ance, I role-played several scenarios 
with a professional public relations 
consultant. To repeat-play helps us 
prepare for life. By playing, all of 
these professionals prepared better 
for an upcoming experience. 

Of course, someone will suggest 
that playing DOOM death matches or 
solving MYST doesn't prepare one 
for life. This straw someone might 
even go on to state that the examples 
above are "reality-based" play and 
therefore, subject to special case con- 
sideration. SimCity is okay by this 
logic because it reflects real lessons 
in urban planning, but Accolade's 
upcoming Deadlock isn’t because it 
reflects a fictitious situation. 

Hogwash! Most games require antici- 


pation of obstacles (whether it’s 
Sonic hopping over a monster or 
Duke Nukem crouching down to peer 
around a corner), resource manage- 
ment (whether money, armor-piercing 
shells, or magical spells) and overall 
strategy (the mental map to get to the 
goal). 

In order to be applicable to real- 
life, the lessons of play must be 
"interpreted" by the gamer. 
Sometimes, this interpretation will be 
subconscious and the gamer 
improves his/her perspective/skill set 
without knowing it. Sometimes, this 
interpretation takes .a conscious leap. 
Whether one is a Freudian who 
believes a healthy mind requires 
“reality-testing" (play is essentially 
testing possibilities without final con- 
sequences) or a Jungian who 
believes that “phantasy" is required to 
reach the imagination and inspire 
interpretation, play is tremendously 
important— especially for people who 
are willing to change and grow. 

Jung understood why people resist 
play. According to George B. 
Hogenson (Jung's Struggle With 
Freud, p. 138), Jung maintained that 
“It is phantasy that makes interpreta- 
tion possible, and the activity by 
which phantasy works out its various 
interpretations is play." Jung went on 
to suggest that most people, being in 
the grip of orthodoxy, are not willing 
to open up their field of experience to 
the emergence of the opposites from 
the unconscious. In other words, play 
is threatening to people who are not 
mature enough to want to learn more 
about themselves. 

So, the next time someone bashes 
you about your “childish" hobby, ask 
them what they’re afraid of. Those 
who are afraid to play are people who 
are afraid to grow, to change, to be- 
even if they write for the San 
Francisco Chronicle. 

Silly writer, games aren't just for 
kids.% 


ZIFF-DAVIS PUBLISHING GROUP 

CHAIRMAN AND CEO Eric Hippeau 

CONSUMER MEDIA GROUP 

President J. Scotl Briggs 
Vice President - J, Thomas Coilingham 
Director of Electronic Publishing .Beth Cataldo 
Marketing Director Vickie Watcli . 
Executive Director, Research Randy Cohen 
Business Manager Cynlhia Mason 
Creative Services Manager Terri Rawson 
PR and Events Manager Laura Beraul 
Assistant to the President Francesca Koe 

MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT GROUP 


President 

Vice President, Alliance Marketing 
Vice President, Business Development 
Vice President, Ziff-Davis 
Magazine Networks 
Vice President, 
Marketing and Development Group 
Vice President, Marketing Services 
Vice President, Corporate Research 
Executive Director, Ziff-Davis 
Magazine Networks 
Marketing Director, Ziff-Davis 
Magazine Networks 
Managing Director, ZDPC 
Directors, Ziff-Davis 
Magazine Networks 

Vice President, Product Testing 
Director, ZD Benchmark Operation 


Jeffrey Ballowe 
Janet Ryan 
Tom Thompson 


Herbert Stern 
Jim Manning 
Elda Wle 


Michael Peikowski 
Jeff Bruce 

Anne Fitzpatrick, Kelly 
Lowman, Alicia Saribalis 
Mark Van Marne 
Bill Catchlngs 


ZIFF-DAVIS PUBLISHING COMPANY, CORPORATE 


President, Business Media Group 
President, 

Computer Intelligence/Infocorp 
President, Consumer Media Group 
President, International Media Group 
President, 

Marketing and Development Group 
Executive Vice President, 
Business Media Group 
Senior Vice President, Circulation 
Vice President, 
Assistant to the Chairman 
Vice President, 
Central Advertising Sales 
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer 
Vice President, Circulation Services 
Vice President, 
General Counsel, and Secretary 
Director of ZD Labs 
Vice President, Human Resources 
Vice President, Planning 
Vice President, Production 
Vice President, Technology 
Treasurer 
Chief Information Officer 
Executive Director, Licensing 
Director of Public Relations 


Rob Brown 
J. Scoll Briggs 
J. B. Holslon III 


Claude Sheer 
Baird Davis 


Timolhy C. O'brien 
James F. Ramaley 

J. Malcom Morris 
Bob Kane 
Rayna Brown 
Darryl Olle 
Roger Herrmann 
Bill Machrone 
Thomas L. Wright 
Wellinglon Y. Chiu 
Gertrud Borchardl 
Gregory Jarboe 




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LETTERS 


A 



LETTER OF THE MONTH 


THE MERRY PRANKSTERS 

P erhaps it is a comment on the broader, fanciful 
aspects of our hobby and avocation that it look 
me all the way to the bottom of the “article" in 
the READ.ME section of the April issue to realize 
1 had been had. We have come to expect so much from the folks 
that feed our addiction to this sort of escapist entertainment. 

Bigger, Better, I'iistcr. More seems to be the 
industry so much so that 
even absurdist parody takes a while to sink in! 
Either that or 1 am more gullible than I 
I sit here pulling the fish 
out of my cheek, saving myself at the 
last minute from being pulled into your 
clever boat, 1 console myself with the idea 
that April fools jokes that cannot by rea- 
son of a set schedule be delivered on the 
actual day have a better chance of suc- 
cess. 

Enjoy your day and thanks for a 
great publication that just keeps get- 
ting better. 

Gerry Palmer via AOL 
St. Louis, MO 


ROBBY DOES WINDOWS 

1 read with some interest your arti- 
cle on Plug N Play, where those who 
want to play DOS games arc going 
to have problems. Sure made me 
change my mind about PNP 
Soundblastcr cards. But this is not 
the end of the story. 

After deciding that it might be 
unwise financially to upgrade my sys- 
tem, I found a buyer for my old com- 
puter and ordered a PI50 from 
Micron. It arrived and started up into 
Windows 95 just fine. 1 began loading 
my Windows games, and everything 
worked fine. Then, 1 loaded Caesar 

11. 1 inserted this Autoplay CD ROM 
game. It said we were going to MS 
DOS mode. Imagine my surprise 
when it said it couldn’t find a CD- 
ROM drive. I went out to DOS, and 
guess what, neither could MS DOS 

7. 1 tried another CD-ROM game in 
DOS. Then, I called Micron. They 


were very nice to tell me that the 
OEM version of Window's 95 now 
being shipped by Microsoft doesn’t 
have any mouse driver for MS DOS 
7, and the CD ROM drivers are hid- 
den. Well, fortunately, I still had my 
old machine. I copied the MS 
Mouse drivers, put them into my 
machine, and put the command in 
myAutoexec.BAT (just like the old 
days, huh?). After a bit of exploration, 
Micron also helped me get the CD 
ROM drivers into the 
CONITG.SYS and 
AUTOEXEC.BAT files. Will most 
new computer buyers be able to fig- 
ure this out? What will they do with 
their new machine if they can’t play 
[a DOS game]? I wonder if the folks 
up in the Pacific Northwest told the 
game developers about this. I won- 
der if the folks at the Justice 
Department would consider this 
restraint of trade (maybe Fury 3 isn’t 
selling so well?). In any event, let the 
buyer beware... MS doesn’t want 
anyone using anything but Window's 
95, and they are looking for every 
angle to make it so. 

Robb)’ Robertson 
Lakewood CO 

We don’t know about the conspira- 
cy you suggest, but we're sure that 
sharing your experience will probably 
save some new Micron owner some 
anxious moments. Now, you’re an 
“information provider” for some of 
that good information you like to see 
in our magazine. Guess we’ll have to 
send you a "Pundits Club" member- 
ship card in the mail. 

LOSING AT KENO 

Me and my gaming friends dis- 
agree with you (sic) Quote “they 
though (sic) the software industary 
(sic) was the same as the toy industry, 
forgetting the most vital market statis- 
tic— Computer gamres (sic) are 


adults.” I believe that this is an incor- 
rect statistic and should be corrected 
in your next eddition (sic) of 
Computer Gaming World. 

Tlianx, 

KENO 
via the Internet 

An independent survey of game 
buyers in October of 1995 indicated 
that the average age of game buyers is 
31 years of age. This is in line with 
other surveys, most notably the annual 
consumer survey of the Software 
Publishers Association. You and your 
friends may “ though ” otherwise, but it 
won’t change the facts. 

THE CASE OF THE MISSING 
PERFORMANCE 

Your magazine is one of the best. 
Period. I’ve never been disappointed. 

I wrote this letter to especially thank 
Loyd Case for his insightful and 
extremely helpful tip in your March 
issue. In his column, he gave a tip on 
how to make Windows 95’s refresh 
rate and graphics run faster and 
smoother. His comments hit a bulls- 
eyc! I thought that my slow' refresh 
rate could be contributed to one of 
those “Windows 95 things” (you 
knoww'hat I’m talking about). I 
decided to give his suggestion a try. 
Boy, did it w'ork! Windows 95 works 
much better now'. Kudos to Mr. 

Case! 

Bets)' Hue)’ 
Ruston, LA 


THIS MUST BE MAGIC 

1 offer this letter as a means of 
expressing the frustration that 
MicroProse has placed on us MAGIC: 
Tl Hi GATI tliRINC players, as well as 
giving your readers a place to find out 
a lot of infonnalion about this game. 
Ever since I first read your article on 
this game (June, 1995), I’ve not only 
followed this game, but I also started 




cc 


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I' ROOD PARTNER 


ISO 


reading your magazine monthly. 
Now that your February issues 
Pipeline states that the game will be 
pushed back until Summer ‘96, 1 
feel that I have to find a way to 
express my anger and frustration. My 
questions to MicroProsc remain 
unanswered, and I feel that I must to 
turn to the print media to be recog- 
nized. 

As you well know, there are hun- 
dreds of thousands (maybe millions) 
of Magic players out there that can 
do nothing but play this game. 

When we first heard that a comput- 
er version would be released we 
immediately became excited. After 
all, now we can play without having 
to find a bunch of friends at one 
o’clock in the morning. When I 
heard that MicroProse was making 
the game, I thought, “Well, OK. It 
could be worse.” Well, I’ve been 
waiting for nearly a year now for this 
game to be released and the)' still 
have nothing to show for it, and I’m 
disgusted. 

1 have taken upon myself to sift 
through various sources of informa- 
tion and minors to create a web 
page containing a lot of information 
about this game. You can find the 
page at 

http://www.en.com/users/ctown/ma 
gic2.html. Once MicroProse actual- 
ly did reply to one of my e-mails, but 
they would disclose nothing. 

1 hope that MicroProse realizes 
that putting this game at the bottom 
of their priority list after putting so 
much hype into it is severely hurting 
their company’s image in the eyes of 
many Magic players. 1, for one, real- 
ize the incredible task it would be to 
program the game would take a very 
long time and understand the 
delays. What I don’t understand is 
why they refuse to release any infor- 
mation about the game except that it 
will be Wln95 and that Sid Meier 
will work on it. 1 don’t know' how big 


of a role he will play in the design, 
but I believe that is mostly a PR 
move. 

I wish [MicroProse] would take 
the approach Interplay did with 
STONEKEEP and keep their cus- 
tomers infonned on the progress of 
the game. As of right now, we 
haven’t got a clue. Finally I want to 
thank Computer Gaming World for 
creating and maintaining such a 
great magazine which is the source 
for a lot of the information on my 
web page. 

William R Brickies 111 
via the Internet 

As we reported in the Sightings 
section of the April issue, Sid Meier is 
actually doing a lot of the coding for 
Magic-. Tut: Gathering. So, it’s not 
just a matter of PR in this case. Also, 
Sid has changed tlieAI since we saw 
the game last year so that it is no 
longer deck-based. In addition, your 
character will now walk through a 
typical ad\>enture/role-playing per- 
spective of the world rather than mov- 
ing from static hot spot to static hot 
spot as we described it in last year's 
Sneak Pro’iew. Further, things have 
changed considerably in the online 
world since last year. The online ser- 
vice where the head-to-head game 
was to have debuted is no longer as 
viable fora product of this magnitude 
as it once was, and plans are chang- 
ing to reflect the changes in the 
online world. We ll try’ to keep you up 
to date. 

SCREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS 

The “Burning Rubber” feature 
(February, 1996) was great, but I 
think there was a mistake about 
SCREAMER. You said that there were 
only three tracks. If you play the 
championship, you will see that 
there are six. Aid, after you win 
them all, you will be able to practice 
with these tracks and you can race 



them backwards, 
too. 

Luiz Eduardo Ribeiro 
Sao Paulo, Brazil 

For pointing out our error, you’ve 
won a free trip to our CG News 
Bureau in Bosnia-Herzogovina. 

That’s where we’ve sent all the other 
letter writers who’ve caught us with 
our fonts down. You're absolutely 
right. Vie feature, which covered sev- 
eral similar games, made this error. 
Fortunately, the full review of 
SCREAMER in our March issue made 
mention of all six courses. 

INTERFACE IMPROVEMENT 

You have done a magnificent job 
redesigning your magazine! I he 
new format is simply great. 1 have 
been a subscriber for several years, 
and have seen CGW change in 
many ways to provide a better reader 
“interface.” Through all of these 
changes, CGW has continued to 
provide only the best reviews and 
information. Keep up the great work. 
I plan on being a subscriber for a 
long time. Thanks. 

joeBoza 

CORRECTIONS 

In our April review of the Zephyr 
Onyx, w'e compared the machines 
WinBench GPUMark numbers with 
Falcon Northwest’s Mach V system. 


We neglected 
to mention that while the Onyx has 
a 166 MHz CPU, the Mach Ms runs 
at 133 MHz. Naturally, we’d expect 
to see better CPU numbers from 
the Onyx, which we did. Falcon 
Northwest is now shipping a 166 
MHz rig that w e’ll be reviewing 
soon. We’ll compare its numbers to 
the Onyx, and let you know what we 
find. 

In our March review of 
Terminator: Future Shock, we 
incorrectly identified Kaare Siesing 
as the game’s designer. Robert Stoll 
actually designed the game; Kaare 
Siesing was the project manager and 
the architect of Bcthcsda’s X(n)gine. 
We apologize for the error, and hope 
that Mr. Stoll won’t terminate us. 


'Io write a letter, send e-mail to: 
CompuServe: 76703,622 
Internet: 76703.622@com 
puserve.com 
or write us at: 

Computer Gaming World 
Letter To The Editor 
135 Main Street, 14th Floor 
San Francisco, CA 94105 


BL 






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READ.ME 


Game of the Year 
Finalists Named 

Premier Awards To Be Announced At The 
Electronic Entertainment Expo 


he following 
games are 
finalists for 
the CGW 
Premier 
Awards, the 
magazine’s awards for the best 
games of the year in each 
genre. The winners will be 
announced in May at the 
Electronic Entertainment Expo, 
and featured in the June issue 
of CGW. Due to holiday 
marketing and inevitable 
product release delays, our 
award year spans from March 
31 to March 31. 

This year, CGW adds two 
new categories to our list of 
Premier Awards: 
Classics/Puzzles and Space 
Sims. In addition to a winner in 
each genre, there is an overall 
Game of the Year and three spe- 
cial awards. The finalists in each 
category are as follows: 

In the Action category the 
nominees are: Crusader: No 
Remorse (EA/Origin), Dark 
Forces (LucasArts), Hexen 
(id/Raven) and The Need for 
Speed (EA/Bullfrog). 

In the Adventure genre, the 
finalists are: Chronomaster 
(Capstone), Gabriel Knight II: 
The Beast Within (Sierra), I Have 
No Mouth And I Must Scream 
(MGM/Cyberdreams), Riddle of 
Master Lu (Sanctuary Woods), 
and StarTrek: The Next 
Generation (Spectrum 


HoloByte). 

Our first new category is 
Classics/Puzzles, with this 
year’s finalists being: 
Connections (Discovery), 
Monopoly (Parker Bros./Virgin) 
and You Don’t Know Jack 
(Berkeley Systems). 

Role-Playing was this 
year's weakest category with the 
fewest finalists. Only Anvil of 
Dawn (New World Computing) 
and Stonekeep (Interplay) made 
the list. 

Finalists for Simulation 
game of the year include: 
Advanced Tactical Fighters 
(Electronic Arts), EF 2000 
(Ocean), Fighter Duel (Philips), 
IndyCar 2 (Sierra/Papyrus), and 
Su-27 Flanker (Mindscape/SSI). 

The other new game catego- 


ry this year is Space Sims. 
Finalists for the Premier Award 
in this genre are: MechWarrior 
2 (Activision) and Wing 
Commander IV (EA/Origin). 

Sports games were very 
hotly contested in the '95-’96 
product year. Finalists for this 
Premier Award are: Front Page 
Sports Pro Football ‘96 
(Sierra/Dynamix), NBA Live 
(Electronic Arts), NHL Hockey 
96 (Electronic Arts), PGA Tour 
Golf (Electronic Arts), Title 
Fight Pro Boxing 
(CompuSports), and Trophy 
Bass (Sierra). 

Premier finalists in the 
Strategy genre are: Caesar II 
(Sierra/Impressions), Command 
& Conquer (Virgin/Westwood), 
Fantasy General 


(Mindscape/SSI), Heroes of 
Might & Magic (New World), 
Warcraft II (Davidson/Blizzard), 
and Warhammer: Shadow of the 
Horned Rat (Mindscape). 

ForWargameof the year, 
the finalists are: Battleground: 
Gettysburg (Talonsoft), Custer’s 
Last Command (Incredible 
Simulations), Panthers in the 
Shadows (HPS Simulations), 
Rise of the West (RAW 
Entertainment), and Steel 
Panthers (Mindscape/SSI). 

Finally, the three Special 
Awards to be announced at E3 
will be for Hardware 
Achievement, Artistic 
Achievement for Physical 
Model, and for Technical 
Achievement. — Jo/?/?oy Wilson 


ere’s a quick look at the hottest 
products on store shelves, as 


CIVILIZATION II 

Friends, Romans, countrymen: 
•Wb lend me your PCs. Another bid 
for world conquest has begun 



well as the lukewarm ones that might 
sit around through the spring. 

anew, and this time, I am determined to 
see that our glorious empire does not fall. 
Lo, these many years, other nations have 
amassed sufficient wealth and prestige to 
be allowed entry into our esteemed arena. 
The Sioux tribe from North 
America, the Celts from the 
British Isles, the Japanese from 
the East Asian shores, and many 
others have convened on a new 
battleground for world domina- 
tion. The scientists are once again 
at research, and their discoveries 
put their previous exploits to 
shame. The builders of yore have 
returned, bringing with them new 



C6 


HAY 1996 



READ.ME 


Intel Packs 'em In 

MMX Technology Promises Faster 
Multimedia Performance 


t the recent 
InterMedia show in 
San Francisco, Intel 
unveiled its new 
MMX technology, a multimedia 
extension to the X86 instruction set. 
MMX's 57 new CPU opcodes are 
designed to accelerate the most 
commonly-performed multimedia 
operations, including AVI and MPEG 
decoding, graphics filtering, 3-D 
graphics and varied audio tasks. 

Intel claims performance gains rang- 
ing from 40 to 400 percent depend- 
ing on the operation. 

Unlike the bungled NSP initiative 
of a year ago, where Intel posited 
that it could bring all the multimedia 
operations “home" to the host, Intel 
is positioning the MMX as a “coop- 
erative" technology that works with 
fixed-function chips like graphics 
accelerators and audio DSPs (Digital 
Signal Processors). Creative Labs, 
Yamaha and S3, among other inde- 
pendent hardware vendors, have ral- 
lied behind Intel, which also has 


received support from many big- 
name, independent software vendors 
such as Adobe, Macromedia and 
Microsoft. 

Microsoft plans to tweak its 
DirectX APIs to use the MMX tech- 
nology whenever possible by pass- 
ing any functions a task-specific chip 
cannot perform directly to the CPU 
via DirectX's hardware abstraction 
layer (HAL). Because MMX promises 
to efficiently handle tasks such as 
assisting with rendering, filtering, 
and video decompression, the CPU 
will be able to focus more on 
processor-intensive tasks (such as 
Al), ultimately creating a smoother 
gaming environment. 

MMX uses 64-bit “packed" inte- 
ger data types, taking 8-, 16- and 32- 
bit data and putting 8, 4, or 2 of 
these into the MMX registers for 
processing with a technique called 
Single Instruction Multiple Data 
(SIMD). Data packing greatly accel- 
erates such functions as inverse dis- 
crete cosine transforms-the key 



PLAYING LATELY? 


READERS' 



W ing Commander IV makes a strong 
debut at number four, while Allied 
General also cracks the Top 10 most- 
played list. Three other games return to 
the chart after a month's absence, includ- 
ing Panzer General, still going strong after 15 months. Be sure to 
send in your free feedback card, so we know which companies 
are responsible for wreaking the most havoc with gamer’s lives. 

Last Months 
Month On Chart 

I. Warcraft II (Blizzard) 1 3 

2. Command & Conquer 

(Westwood) 3 6 

3. Steel Panthers (SSI) 2 5 

4. Wing Commander IV (Origin) — 5 

5. Heroes of Might and Magic 

(New World Computing) 5 5 

6. Crusader: No Remorse 

3 
2 
1 
1 

15 


7. Hexen (Raven) 


8 . Duke Nukem 3D (3D Realms) — 

9. Allied General (SSI) — 

JO. Panzer General (SSI) 


algorithm to smooth MPEG decom- 
pression. 

Intel expects to introduce its 
MMX-equipped CPUs later this year 


and integrate MMX into all of its 
processors by sometime next year. 
—Dave Salvator 


Wonders of the World. “But what of our armies?" 
you ask. “Surely, we are a peace-loving people, 
but we must defend ourselves against belligerent 
foes." And you are right. Archers, elephants, 
explorers, engineers, and others have joined the 
cause. But be forewarned; our advances are avail- 
able for the enemy to steal or discover on their 
own. Though we may have returned stronger, so 
have our foes. A pity, though, that our adversaries 
are men of silicon, rather than flesh and blood. 
Still, this time, though the fruits of our labor will 
taste sweeter, ascendancy to the stars will be that 
much more difficult. Prepare yourselves, my 
friends, for the dawn of a new civilization has 
arrived, and none among the living will be able to 
resist its glory. -E. Chin 
MicroProse (410) 771-0440; 

PC CD-ROM; Windows 
Reader Service #301 



TERRA NOVA: STRIKE 
FORCE CENTAURI 

Combining the firepower of a 
MechWarrior with the feel of mili- . - 
tary commando actions, Terra 
Nova: Strike Force Centauri is a 
fast-paced 3-D romp across distant planetary sur- 
faces. Simulation-style combat missions are inter- 
laced with 3-D rendered cut scenes, an unfolding 


story to motivate gamers to keep playing, and lots 
of weapons. As you become more proficient in 
handling one armored warrior, you get to add sol- 
diers to your unit and try your hand at command. 
Many gamers will welcome Terra Nova because it 
is fast, challenging and varied. Others will find 
that it is far too fast for them. The worst news is 
that the weapon ranges are so long that many of 
the special effects are wasted because the ene- 
mies are small, almost stick figures, and 
the explosions are smaller than gamers 
expect. MechWarrior fans will elect to 
keep their exploding Mechs, while Terra 
Nova fans will watch from a distance. 

—J. Wilson 

Looking Glass Technologies (617) 441- 
6333; http://www.lglass.com; 

PC CD-ROM 
Reader Service #302 


A 


Experience nation 



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onquesC 


nticed by the lure of exploring the unknown, you 
cross treacherous seas in search of the New World. But be 
warned! Europe's other conquering heroes are in pursuit 
of the same glory. 

Conquest of the New World™ is a single or multi-player 
strategy game where you're in command of the explorers, 
settlers, and mercenary soldiers destined to survey the land, 
to build new colonies, and to protect your emerging nation. 
As you search for new rivers and mountains, you'll come 
across other colonies and encounter friendly and hostile 
native tribes. Your growing nation is constantly at the mercy 
of world events and the endless threat of surprise attacks. 

Only through a perfect balance of diplomacy, exploration, 
trade and warfare can you build the ultimate nation, 
declare independence, and experience the true power of 
Conquest. 

Single or Multi-player action 
for up to 6 over a network & 
head-to-head with a modem 


Colonies come to life in 
stunning SVQA graphics 
and exciting 3D animations 



* . .."■‘V'"'- 





i i i 


' a. 

r Apj- , 

\ .* j *_ - '• 



Combat explodes with 
the echoing blasts of 
infantry, cavalry & cannons 

. Victory can be achieved by “ An E-ticket Ride” 

... ■ .. , , — Computer Gaming World 

exploration, building, trade 
or combat 

“Conquest of the New World has l ljbkJ hom~ 

beauty 9 brains & depth — Strategy Plus ^ 

^ 7 JL BY GAMERS. FOR GAMERS. 

Chart your course for the Interplay WEB site (http://www.interplay.com) and download the interactive demo. 

©1996 Interplay Productions. Conquest of the New World and Interplay are trademarks of Interplay Productions. All rights reserved. 

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. C( 


Circle Reader Service U63 


ON THE SHELF 


Online Chaos Continues 

Where Should Gamers Go For Multiplayer Games? 



T here are more questions 
than answers right now in 
the world of online gaming. 
Should you go with a ser- 
vice that allows you to con- 
nect your existing games 
with other players, or 

should you select a service that offers cus- 


RODFARTHER Mpath’s customers will be able to play New 
World’s Chaos Overlords online. The game lets you rule the 
underworld of the near future. 


tom multiplayer games? Should you use a 
service that can be accessed by the 
Internet or should you choose an estab- 
lished service? What are the advantages of 
each? 

Investors and software publishers are 
asking themselves the same questions. As 
the Total Entertainment Network (TEN) and 
Mpath approach their launch dates 
(as in any software enterprise, the 
operative acronym is RSN— Real 
Soon Now) and industry observers 
try to figure out The Microsoft 
Network’s game plan and 
Interplay’s alleged online strategy, 
many gamers are wondering 
where to turn. 

Both TEN and Mpath plan to 
offer multiple-server solutions to 
reduce latency (the lagtime 
between entering a command on 
your computer and receiving a 
response from the server or anoth- 
er computer). With fast-paced 
action games like multiplayer Duke 
Nukem 3D or Quake, latency can 


mean the difference between a frag or a 
miss. Using regional servers, both services 
will be able to reduce the average latency- 
meaning a potentially more satisfying game 
experience. Gamers will be able to enter 
these new services by either Internet con- 
nection or dial-up node. 

Traditional networks have relied on pack- 
et switching technology, which is so slow 
that Cyberstrike players on GEnie may 
shoot at robots on screen that have actually 
moved to new positions according to the 
server. As online gamers know, the more 
people who enter the arena, the worse the 
latency becomes. That’s why word of The 
Microsoft Network's goal of putting thou- 
sands of people in the same gaming arena 
before opening another server seems unre- 
alistic. Even if they were planning to use 
TEN (Apogee plans to partner with TEN on 
several first-person POV games) or Mpath's 
(New World will offer Chaos Overlords on 
this service) distributed server model, this 
approach is a killer. Right now, the only 
games of which we’re aware, that can han- 
dle thousands of users in the same arena, 


DESCENT II 

Grab the Dramamine and 
prepare for Descent II. This 
360-degree, 3-D shoot-’em-up is nearly iden- 
tical to the popular original, but it features 
new textures and environments, 30 new lev- 
els, 30 new enemy robots and 10 new 
weapons. Descent II also introduces a guide- 
bot that assists you in navigation, a thief-bot 
that attacks you and steals your weapons, 



and life-like light source rendering that 
enhances the effect of movement. The only 
thing missing is a re-orient button and a barf 
bag for those new to the joy of twisting aim- 
lesslessly out of control. — J. Anderson. 
Parallax Software/Interplay (800) 468-3775; 
PC CD-ROM 
Reader Service #303 


ADVANCED 

TACTICAL 

FIGHTERS 



At first glance, ATE looks like 
another US Navy Fighters expansion disc, 
with a few new planes. There’s plenty here to 
keep even jaded USNF fans engaged, though. 
The new planes have stealth and thrust-vec- 
toring aspects that let you use entirely new 
tactics to complete the sim’s missions. 



Videos of the real planes in action supple- 
ment the sim module, along with information 
culled from the authoritative Jane's All the 
World’s Aircrali 

But the real added bonus here is multiplayer 
support. Go head-to-head over a modem link 
or join a swarm of human opponents over a 
network connection, flying any of the planes 





14200 Trojan Way 
U Mirada, CA 90638 
(714)862-1783 


,v - -il99S Shiny Ent.. Inc."-' All rights 

..Circle Reader Service #283. 


6 a w 

olcf n la rala ls« 4 S « a)J <SJ » ft ii . 










1 1 •* jjpf*}- . 



www.westwood.poi 






are play-by-electronic mail games on the Web like 
Crossover Technologies’ President '96 
(http://www.pres96.com). It can handle hundreds 
of thousands of users because they don’t all have 
to be online simultaneously and there are no real- 
time responses. All results are resolved weekly. 

Interplay's official strategy will not be 
announced until the Electronic Entertainment 
Expo (E3), but the company is expected to 
announce a multiserver strategy with both 
Internet connectivity and a traditional online strat- 
egy that will supplement existing online servers. 
As suggested in an earlier CGW editorial, we 
expect the same type of product aggregation 
strategy as we see in Interplay’s MacPIay division. 
The E3 announcement is expected to include 
numerous strong partners in this venture. More 
on this next month. 

Meanwhile, AOL has signed Kesmai (Air 
Warrior, Multi-Player BattleTech, and more) as 
part of the service’s new commitment to online 
games. Expect lots of announcements from AOL 
over the next few months. Further, Prodigy is 
moving most of its content to the Web and is 
expected to announce more dynamic multiplayer 
games than it has had in the past. Finally, 
CompuServe recently announced its new con- 
sumer emphasis with W.O.W., but the games 
announced there are versions of marble solitaire, 
blackjack, a famous face type of “Concentration" 
and a word puzzle . -Johnny Wilson 


Look Out QuickTime... 


M icrosoft has devel- 
oped a new technol- 
ogy called 
ActiveMovie that will 
make MPEG play- 
back easier in 

Windows 95, and facilitate playback of 
various media from any source, including 
the Internet, according to the company. 
ActiveMovie is something of a "wrapper” 
technology that serves as a structure 
within which all media types, including 
AVI, QuickTime, WAV, MPEG, and MIDI 
files, can be synched and played. 

Microsoft is positioning ActiveMovie as 
a key multimedia title development tool 
that tightly integrates with DirectX APIs. 
ActiveMovie has its own internal time 
code to which all streamed media can be 
slaved, which is intended to improve 
audio-video synchronization during play- 
back. Multiple media types can be pieced 
together as well; for example, an MPEG 
file with a MIDI sequence added for back- 
ground music. 

The ActiveMovie playback process has 
three integral components: source filters, 
transform filters and Tenderer filters. The 


source filter first reads data in from a 
medium (hard disk, CD-ROM, network, 
etc.) and passes it to the filter graph man- 
ager. The transform filter decodes the 
data, and then passes it to the Tenderer 
filterer, which in turn renders the data 
using DirectX APIs where possible (see 
diagram). 

The ActiveMovie technology is intend- 
ed to be transparent to end-users, and 
should ship to developers in June, with 
ActiveMovie-ware titles to ship late this 
summer— Dave Salvator 


ActiveMovie 

Filter Graph Manager 
I Source L | Transform I 

I Filter | | Filter | 


Media 


| Renderer I 

| Filter | 


Media 

Destination 


DirectX 


MISSION CONTROL ActiveMovie will be an 
extensible structure for playing most media 
types, past, present and future. 


in the simulation, from the F-4 Phantom to 
the X-32 ASTOVL. The variety of planes avail- 
able in multiplayer mode promises long-last- 
ing fun-it’s like having an entire air force at 
your command.-D. Atkin 
Electronic Arts, (415)571-7171; 

PC CD-ROM 
Reader Service #304 


EARTHSIEGE 2 

With detailed textures atop the 
polygon-based robots, new 
robot types, better controls, a 
robot to be flown in air combat, and a host of 
new missions, Sierra’s Dynamix division 
once again takes aim at MechWarrior. 
Though this series suffers from not having 
the rich universe and back story of the FASA 
property and Activision design, the action is 



the missions get hairier and hairier as the 
game moves toward its climax. — Wilson. 
Sierra (800-757-7707); 
http://www.sierra.com; 

PC CD-ROM 
Reader Service #305. 


faster and, at times, more furious than in its 
competitor. Pure action gamers may actually 
prefer this game to the more simulation- 
esque design of MechWarrior 2. Regardless, 
Earthsiege 2 features a planet under attack by 
the Cybrids, those Al-controlled enemies that 
turned on their masters in the original 
Earthsiege. This time, it’s an all-out battle and 


SPYCRAFT: 

THE GREAT 

GAME 

If you thought espionage was 
all about hanging out in Monte Carlo and sip- 
ping martinis, think again. Developed with 
input from intelligence experts William Colby 
and Oleg Kalugin, Spycraft The Great Game 
is low on the cloak-and-dagger stuff, but nev- 
ertheless provides a high level of suspense. 
As CIA case officer Thorn, you must sift 
through and analyze piles of information 





Most baffle lines are dratun over distance. Vours spans time ... and the 
distance between in hearts. 

From present-dag Paris, pur past becHons qou to a iourneq through the 
depths of time. (Is William lbs, p most decipher the secret language of the 
Hnighfs Templar, discover the mgsteries hidden in goer past, confront gour 
mortal nemesis Wolfram, and rescue gour fiancee from the shachles of time. 

ton'll need been deductive shills and expert swordsmanship to bring gogr 
beloved bach with gou to the present. Chivalrg and cunning will be gour 
guides on this incredible adventure. 


Challenge It. Conquer it. 

THEN IMMORTALIZE YOURSELF IN IT. 

You could be one of the new villains in an (‘Motion sequel. Enter now for your 
chance to be in the game! The first 25,000 entered will receive a free demo. 

1 Name 

| Address ' 

9 City State Zip 

E-Mail 

Mail to: l»Motion, 626 Santa Monica Blvd., 

Box 417, Santa Monica, CA 90401 

For more info: 1-800-443-3386 

http://www.imotion.com 



Circle Reader Service it 103 




SPA Focuses On The Pipe 


Publishers Discuss Internet Potential At Spring Symposium 


S oftware publishers once gathered 
to talk about packaged products 
and "the channel," marketing lingo 
for the distribution system. Today, 
they are gathering to talk about not 
only the "channel,” but the "pipe," 
or the Internet and its potential for online applets, 
games, services and distribution. At SPA’s Spring 
Symposium in March, the subject on everyone’s 
mind was the Internet and 
the potential it presents for 
the future. 

SPA Executive Director 
Ken Wasch announced that 
Microsoft Corporation has 
expressed its intent to place 
the Recreational Software 
Advisory Council's (RSAC) 
Internet Ratings setup 
screen on the next build of its browser-the 
Microsoft Internet Explorer. This plan will allow 
parents and consumers to set their browsers to 
filter such material as Violence, Sex/Nudity and 
Language based on threshold ratings. The rat- 
ings, 1 indicating mild content and 4 denoting 
extreme material, are currently used to rate many 
existing computer games, and could be preset as 



an Internet filter via software. The criteria used to 
rate Internet material will be the same as that 
used to rate over 350 
titles from over 90 com- 
panies in the packaged- 
software market. 

In other items of 
interest to gamers, 

Computer Gaming 
World hosted a panel 
on "Issues In Online 
Game Development" which brought representa- 
tives of new online services and existing game 
developers together to speak about technological, 
game design, and economic issues surrounding 
the burgeoning multiplayer-game market. Other 
panels dealt with using the Internet for advertise- 
ments and customer service. 

On the more traditional level, the SPA's 
Software Packaging Group continued to develop 
guidelines for using standardized wording and 
package placement for systems requirements, 
making shopping easier for everyone. Also in evi- 
dence at the symposium were new materials for 
the on-going Anti-Piracy Campaign. This year, the 
battle will focus on consumer software piracy and 
international piracy. 


Robert Wuhl (Cobb, Good Morning, Vietnam) 
hosted the black-tie Codie Awards Ceremony 
where the following game- 
related awards were present- 
ed. For Best Action/Arcade 
Software, the winner was 
LucasArts' Dark Forces. In a 
surprise victory, the winner 
of Best Adventure/Role 
Playing Software was a con- 
sumer version of one of the 
oldest educational games in the country, Oregon 
Trail II from MECC. The Best Sports Software 
award went to Papyrus Design Group’s IndyCar 
Racing II. In what was the most controversial vic- 
tory of the night for us, The Logic Factory's 
Ascendancy was awarded Best Strategy Software. 
The game has abominable Al, and we were 
amazed at the number of judges and SPA voters 
who felt the Al had given them a tough run for 
their money. 

Finally, since an educational title won the 
Adventure/Role-Playing award, we felt turn-about 
was fair play when a game won the Best Home 
Learning Program for Adolescents: The Lost Mind 
of Dr. Brain from Sierra On-Line, Inc. 

- Johnny Wilson 




using high-tech gadgets and tools just like 
the guys at Langley. And you'd better be 
quick about it; a Russian presidential candi- 
date has just been assassinated, and the 
U.S. president could be next. Worse, there 
seems to be a mole in the organization, so 
you'd better watch your back. Suffering only 
from occasionally nonsensical dialogue trees, 
and a relatively short length, Spycraft should 


provide a few hours of intense, if brief, enter- 
tainment until the next Tom Clancy novel 
comes out. -K. Hedstrom 
Activision (310) 473-9200; 

PC CD-ROM 
Reader Service #306 


& 


CH PRO 
THROTTLE 

If finding the right key on the 
keyboard to activate your ECM 
pod usually takes so long that you end up 
with an AMRAAM stuck up your tail, check 
out the CH Pro Throttle. This comfortable 
throttle features four buttons and four four- 
way hat switches, all programmable, as well 
as a throttle that can send both analog and 
keyboard commands. The DOS program 
used to program the throttle could use an 


interface makeover, 
but it beats writing a 
script in a text edi- 
tor. Multiple charac- 
ters can be 
assigned to each 
button/hat press and 
release. The buttons 
and hat of a CH-compatible joystick attached 
to the throttle can also be programmed. 

A great throttle choice for those who find the 
Thrustmaster TQS overkill. Our only major 
complaint is the lack of a detente to mark the 
afterburner portion of the throttle movement. 
-0. Atkin 

CH Products, (619) 598-2518; 

PC 

Reader Service #30 7 




CG 


HAY 1996 





Prepare For The Ultimate Body-Check If The Future 

HyperBLade. The ultimate spirt. Fueled by the blistering intensity if spirts from the past: 
hockey, lacrisse and speed-skating - to deliuer the mega-sport if the 2000's. Battling 
ruthless players and uicious teams in a uuerld mbere brutality leads In uictnry. 


AcliVisioH 


Circle Reader Service H39 

Hyperblade is a trademark of Activision, inc. © 1996 Activision, inc. wizbang! is a registered trademark of wizbang! software productions. 
MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft corporation. All rights reserved. 


Activision 




Designed for 


Microsoft' 


Windows’95 


Slick Man 



ready to rip through 
it —killing, intimidating, 
bribing or extorting anyone 
who gets in their way. 


Victory is assured . . . 
until this guy shows up. 


> A strategic challenge for 
gamers of all skill levels 

• Hire and deploy 70 different gangs 
as you conquer the future 

» Multiplayer compatibility for up to 
6 players over network, modem, 
or internet connection 

• Over 50 new technologies to 
research from Kevlar Armor 
to Plasma Launchers 

• Multiple difficulty 
settings and scenarios 

Available for Windows 95 


© 1996 New World Computing, Inc. 
Chaos Overlords is a trademark of 
New World Computing, Inc. All rights 
reserved. IBM screens shown, actual 
" screens may vary. All other trademarks 
. belong to their respective holder(s). 



READ.ME 


A 


Contests For Heroes, 


H ew World Computing is sponsoring 
a World Building Contest for the 
Heroes of Might and Magic game. 
The contest, which began March 1, 
1996, and runs until midnight June 29, 1996, will 
judge the maps created with the enclosed editor 
in the Windows 95 version of the game (multiple, 
separate entries are welcome). If your scenario 
passes the crash test-two crashes and you’re 
out-it will be judged on its playability and origi- 


nality. The grand prize winner will receive a com- 
plete multimedia computer system, with other 
prizes including, software gift certificates, and 
complete libraries of New World Computing 
games. See the New World Computing Web site at 
http://www.nwcomputing.com for entry forms and 
rules. 

Or, if you prefer covert operations, how about 
an "espionage vacation" in the Bahamas courtesy 
of Activision's Sypcraft contest. Five grand prize 


Spies 

winners will be trained in “spy” activities such as 
surveillance, self-defense, the use of night-vision 
equipment, and the ever-popular action movie 
sequence-jet skiing. All winners will be chosen 
by random drawing, but you better hurry-the 
contest runs through May 13, 1996. For details on 
how to register, visit Activision’s Web page at 
http://www.activision.com. -Jill Anderson 






interactive comedy spy thriller, you 
become Jack, a self-confessed TV 
trivia addict, who fancies himself as a 
bit of a smooth guy, but is really a 
penniless slob. 

The basic plot of this point-and-click 
game is predictable: Regular Guy 
becomes a spy for a day. You have 24 
hours to sniff out the bad guys, turn 
them in, get the girl, and grab the 
cash, while picking up clues, navigat 
ing through mazes and avoiding an untimely 
and gruesome death. 

More entertaining are the lengthy non-interac- 
tive scenes, which allow you to enjoy the far- 
cical movie, and hear Jack deliver such clas- 
sic lines as, “Don’t shoot me. I'm afraid of 
loud noises!" An abundance of bodily-func- 
tion humor combined with the geeky Jack’s 
disgusting habits raise this to the “It's so bad 
it’s good" category! 

Not for everybody’s taste, but worth a look if 
only to see the excellent video graphics and 
the notable cast, including Rob Lowe and the 
ex-James Bond himself, George Lazenby. 

- C. Panther 
Capcom (408) 774-0500; 

PC CD-ROM 
Reader Service #310 


H'.ZONE 

While playing Hexen, do you 
miss your old Doom WAD 
files? Looking for new worlds to conquer? 
Well, I have good news and bad news for you. 
The good news: H!Zone is a superb utility 
that allows you to convert and manage WAD 
files for Hexen, Heretic, Doom II and Doom. It 
has many features and levels you will not find 
anywhere else. The bad news: It has the 
worst interface we’ve seen. Not only is it 
coded in ANSI, it’s bad ANSI. The buttons 
are cryptic and the operation clumsy. You will 
need to read the book on this one. They did a 


good job on the program, but perhaps the 
designers should take some art classes. 
-G. Fortune 

Wizard Works (612) 559-5301 
PC CD-ROM 
Reader Service #308 


HEROES OF 
MIGHT & MAGIC 
FOR WINDOWS 
95 

One of the best fantasy strategy games of 
1995 has returned to the PC with all new 
bells and whistles, improvements, and for a 
new platform. Heroes of Might & Magic was 


a stellar DOS based strategy game, and now 
the Windows 95 version has appeared on the 
shelves. However, the change of platform isn’t 
the only new feature of this product. 
Heroes for Win 95 also comes with a 
scenario editor for creating your own 
maps and scenarios. This is wonderful, 
as it adds re-playability to an already 
excellent game. You can draw your own 
maps, or call up random ones and pop- 
ulate it with your own mix of treasures 
and monsters. But the fun doesn’t stop 
there; New World has included 16 new 
scenarios, and they’re not just more of the 
same. And to top it all off, the Win 95 version 
even includes a copy of King’s Bounty, the 
predecessor to Heroes. All in all, a value- 
added upgrade to a five-star game.— £ Chin 
New World Computing (800) 251-9563 
(818-734-7136 outside US); 

PC CD-ROM; Windows 
Reader Service #309 


FOXHUNT 

What do you get when you 
cross James Bond with Jim 
Carey? How about Jack Fremont, the anti- 
hero of Capcoms’ new title Foxhunt. In this 


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Leisure Suit Larry 7 


H ere’s an early look at the space invaders that will be vying for i away, and they aren’t even playable yet, but at least you can see 
room on your hard drive. Some of these games are still months ! what they look like, and get an idea what their intentions are. 



T he next installment in the love 
life of Larry Latter could well 
be called "The Lust Boat." The 
Baron of Bawd, Al Lowe, has 
placed Larry on-board a cruise ship 
full of enough buxom babes to get 
Sierra arrested for balloon smug- 
gling (ask an old frat 
rat, if you don’t get 
it). The caricatures 
of such pulchritudi- 
nous femmes as 
Dewmi Moore and 
Drew Barememore 
are sure 
Sierra 

tion. Memo is 
Sierra's answer to 
Playboy's Vargas. 


More importantly for game play, Al says 
that this Larry will feature richer, user- 
directed communication between Larry 
and the "babes,” using a context-sensi- 
tive list of key words. The next Larry is 
expected to ship in time for this holiday 
season. 



Betrayal at Antara 

S ierra is attempting to undo 
the damage caused by its 
Dynamix division when it 
cancelled the sequel to the 
Hall of Fame-winning Betrayal 
at Krondor, the role-playing 
classic based on Raymond E. 


creatures than either Feist or 
standard-fantasy fare. Antara 
will be a skill-based game 
where players can improve one 
to five skills at a time through 
"practice." Perhaps most inter- 
esting will be Antara's new tacti- 
cal combat, featuring a “dis- 
guised” hex-style tactical 
combat and new combat 
options. We also think role- 
players will be fascinated by 
the way characters can 
research spells by combin- 
ing different areas of knowl- 
edge. There are lots of 
fresh ideas in Antara and 
we hope gamers will give it 
a chance. 


Feist’s universe. With Betrayal 
at Antara, a new team is using 
new technology to develop a 
new mythos. Antara will offer 
some of the 3-D feel of the Hall- 
of-Fame game, but will offer dif- 
ferent cultures and different 


Over the Reich 

D esigner Charlie Moylan 
enjoys breaking with tradi- 
tion. His Flight 
Commander 2 was a flight 
combat strategy game, making 



Interactive. You’ve just inherited 
a Fantasy Resort for Rock ‘n’ 
Roll stars in this sinister and 
bizarre 3-D adventure world. 
With a brochure and a post 
card in hand, you find yourself 
at the front door of the dilapi- 
dated resort. The caretaker-an 
odd little fellow with an inge- 
nious mode of transport— isn’t 
particularly friendly, but you 
should keep him on your side 
as he’ll help you combat the 
mischievous deeds of the toxic 
twins who continue to thwart 
your efforts. It’s up to you to fix 
up the ol’ place and rebuild the 
Muse Machine that pumps 
energy back into the resort and 
the visiting, ailing rock stars. If 
you need more guidance, con- 
sult the soothsayer, played by 
Cher. 9 will be simultaneously 
released for the Mac and PC in 
early summer. 


its mark in gam- 
ing skies filled 
with first-person 
flight simulators. 

Now, Moylan 
teams with 
Avalon Hill to 
bring one of J.D. 

Webster’s most 
acclaimed board game designs 
to the IBM. Over the Reich— due 
this Summer-attempts to tack- 
le the incredibly complex mod- 
elings of WWII aircraft and 
make them manageable, while 
still retaining the high degree of 
realism for which both design- 
ers are noted. The operational 
scale of the game is perfect to 
show the grand sweep of the 
Battle of Britain: radar, close 
escort fighters, "hunter" tactics, 
strafing, even night bombing, 
are all scheduled for inclusion. 
All in all, a grand undertaking 
which looks to leave even the 
ground-breaking (air-breaking?) 
Flight Commander 2 behind. 


N o, it's not a John Lennon 
song, it’s the first game to 
be released by Robert 
DeNiro's soon-to-be- 
announced company, Tribeca 






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T hese are the products in development we’ve actually spent 
some time with. They represent some of the most interesting 


titles in the Pipeline, and they are complete enough to actually tell 
how they’re going to play. Most should be released soon. 




Quake Death Match 


F rag, you're it. id Software recently unleashed a peek at its 
latest horrific brainchild, Quake. Perhaps feeling some 
heat from Duke Nukem 3D's buzz, the DooMinators have 
released a death match version of Quake where you and 
several close friends can blow each other into tiny pieces. 
The so-called “technology demo” allows null-modem and 
modem-based head-to-head matches, and up to eight players for a full-on 
LAN-based splatterfest. 

Quake is a true 3-D polygon-based world where everything, including the 
players, has much more depth and realism than any of id's previous games. 
Though some of the graphics are still pretty raw, the overall effect is enough 
to keep you coming back for gore. Highlights include new weapons like a 
nail gun, and its bigger, uglier cousin, the super nail gun. For more direct 
results, the grenade tosser and rocket-propelled grenade weapons will leave 
opponents speechless (and probably headless). As a match progresses, the 


level becomes littered with carcases and assorted body parts from previous 
meaningful rendezvous. Another highlight is the collection of sounds, rang- 
ing from deep explosions to wrenching screams of anguish. 


Because the death match is basically an early beta of the forthcoming final 
version, there are some rough edges, though its rough-hewn state leaves it 
much more configurable. The entire game is driven from a command 
prompt where you can tweak a lot of different game attributes ranging from 
the color of your player's clothes (can you say "camouflage"?) to the 
amount of gravity the level has. 

Getting a LAN-based frag-a-thon to work, with one system acting as the 
“server” to the other systems, took some doing. However, having additional 
players makes for enhanced mayhem.-D. Salvator 
id Software (214) 613-3589 
PC Shareware http://www.idsoftware.com/qss.html 


EXCLUSIVE! 


^Diamond Stealth 

iamond 
will be 
shipping 
its Stealth 
3D 2000 
by late 

June, but we got hold of a beta 
unit with beta drivers and were 
pretty impressed. We checked 
out the Stealth running an early 
build of Descent II that takes 
advantage of some of the 


Stealth's rendering features, 
and under Windows 95 we ran 
MechWarrior 2 — DirectDraw 
drivers and all. 

The Stealth is based on S3’s 
ViRGE 3D chip, and has hard- 
ware support for Z-buffering, 
MIR mapping, bi-linear filtering, 
texture mapping with perspec- 
tive correction, alpha blending 
and fogging. The Stealth will 
support titles using Direct3D 
when they ship; meanwhile, the 
planned software bundling will 
include Descent II, Destruction 
Derby, and Terminal Velocity. 




The estimated 
street price is 
$249 with 2MB 
of EDO DRAM. 

In our preview 
tests, the 
“enhanced” 
version of 
Descent II was 
expectedly 
shaky in overall 
performance, 
but the render- 
ing quality was 
very impressive. Especially 
striking were the detailed tex- 


ture maps on the walls, and the 
anti-aliasing of all vertices kept 
the “jaggies" to a minimum. 





aff &v&c the 
ki& &n>e L%< &%£re. .." 


By far, the largest, mo|t 
detailed foes ever seen in 
fighting game. Up to 3^4 of 
the screen’s height. 

Innovative screen panning” 
zooming, real-time scaling, '' 
shadows, and special FXXv 
Interactive, animated' and) 
detailed backgrounds.that 
often hide special dangers/ 

8 characters, 2 champion^ 
and a nasty surprise. \§ .. .i 
Special moves, combos, w’i 
resurrections, & humiliation! 
Blood sucking, claw slasl*- 
ing, tail whipping, karate 
kicking, fist ramming, body 
slamming, blood spurting 
action — need we say more? 


i / 

.revolutionary game design, it may indeed knock fighting fans into another 
" " — Strategy Plus 



Gen 

INCORPORATED 


Developed by Argo Games 
Published by Apogee Software, Ltd. 
Distributed by FormGen 


■AK: 
V ■ 


Software Creations Web BBS (http://www.swcbbs.com} 
WWW Site (http: //www. apogee 1 .com) 

CIS (Go APOGEE) AOL (Keyword APOGEE) 



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HANDS ON 


The frame rate was jiltery and 
somewhat slow, but not surpris- 
ing being an early beta build. 
Also, as we flew the ship close 
to walls, the Stealth’s MlP-map- 
ping helped maintain image 
integrity of the texture maps. 
(MIP mapping stores multiple 
texture maps of varying detail 
that the 
game’s ren- 
dering 
engine can 
switch to as 
you move 
close to an 
object. So 
rather than 
the wall's 
pixels get- 
ting progres- 
sively blocki- 
er, the ren- 
dering 
engine 
switches to 
another tex- 
ture map for 
better image qual- 
ity.) 

In Windows 95, 

MechWarrior 2 
ran well even with 
a desktop resolu- 
tion of 1024 x 
768. Here again, 
the frame rate 
wasn't altogether 
up to speed, but 
the Stealth’s beta 
drivers still let us 
wreak some 
mech-havoc without a crash. 
When Diamond has final hard- 
ware and drivers ready for 
prime time, we’ll put them 
through their paces, and tell you 
what we found.— 0. Salvator 
S3 Incorporated, (408) 

980-5400 

PC 


■■ 


Microsoft Return of 
the Arcade 

T hey’re back! 

Microsoft is 
bringing 
back four of 
the old 
arcade table- 

style games from a decade 


gaps of time. Now, you can 
guide Pacman around the maze, 
avoiding the ghosts and gob- 
bling the buttons, while waiting 
for that meeting to start. Or, test 
your reflexes by shooting aliens 
out of the sky and avoiding the 
falling bombs in Galaxians 
whenever lhat receptionist puts 



■ ** * 
v •#: ** 


1 

■ & ♦ ** 


gone by, and fitting them nicely 
on your desktop. Pac Man, The 
Galaxians, Pole Position and 
Dig Dug are back and identical 
to the coin-op originals-right 
down to the catchy little ditties. 
What makes these games wor- 
thy of resurrecting is that they're 
easy to play, short games that 
perfectly fill small (and large) 


you on hold. And 
the beauty of it is, 
once the games 
are installed on 
your hard drive, 
and opened like 
any other applica- 
tion, they can be 
minimized into 
the Microsoft task 
bar at the bottom 
of your screen for 
quick, easy 
access and 

escapes. The problem is, the 
games are as addicting as ever. 
Return of the Arcade should be 
gobbling up space on retailers’ 
shelves by the time you read 
this. 

—J. Anderson 
Microsoft (206) 882-8080 
PC CD-ROM Windows 95 


9 Tribeca 

6/96 

10th Planet Bethesda 

9/96 

1943 European Air War MicroProse Summer 96 

AD&D Deathheep SSI 

6/96 

Afterlife LncasArts 

Spring 96 

Age of Rifles SSI 

7/96 

American Civil War Interactive Magic Summer 96 

Azrael's Tear Mindscape 

6/96 

Battleground: Waterloo Talonsoft 

5/96 

Betrayal In Antara Sierra 

9/96 

Blood 3D Realms/FormGen 

Summer 96 

Callahan's Crosstime Saloon legend Fall 96 

Chessmaster 5000 Mindscape 

5/96 

D Acclaim 

6/96 

Daggerfall Bethesda 

Summer 96 

Dark Earth Mindscape 

10/96 

Diablo Blizzard 

Summer 96 

Duke Nukem 3D 3D Realms/FormGen 4196 

Guardians of Destiny Virgin 

Summer 96 

History of the World Avalon Hil 

8/96 

Jagged Alliance Gold Summer 96 
Leisure Suit Larry 7 Sierra 

Fall 96 

Lighthouse Sierra 

6/96 

Magic the Gathering MicroProseSummer 96 

Master ol Orion 2: Anlares MicroProse 

Summer 96 

MegaRace 2 Mindscape 

4/96 

Micro League Baseball 96 Microleague 6/96 
Microsoft Return of Arcade Microsoft 5/95 

Mission Force: Cyberstorm Sierra 

Spring 96 

Monty Python & Holy Grail 7th Level Summer 96 

Mysl II Broderbund 

Summer 96 

Nemesis Sir-Tech 

9/96 

Noir Cyberdreams 

Over the Reich Avalon Hill 

Fall 96 
Summer 96 

Pax Imperia II Blizzard 

Summer 96 

Quake id Software “When it's ready" 

Return of Arcade Microsoft 

Spring 96 

Return to Kroedor 7th Level 

6/96 

Revereuce Cyberdreams 

Fall 96 

Robert E. Lee Sierra 

6/96 

Shadow Warrior 3D Realms/FormGenFall 96 

Shadows ol Riva Sir Tech 

8/96 

Star Fleet Academy Interplay 

Summer 96 

Star Trader Mindscape 

6/96 

Superheroes MicroProse 

Summer 96 

The Last Blitzkrieg SSG 

Summer 96 

The Shrinking Character CyberdreamsWinter 96 
Third Reich Avalon Hill 6/96 

Threshold Mindscape 

5/96 

Timelapse GTE Entertainment 

8/96 

X-Com 3: The Apocalypse MicroProse Fall 96 

Xenophage Apogee/FormGen 

Q2/96 

Voyeur II Philips 

Z Virgin 

7/96 

Summer 96 








©1995 Pulse Entertainment. Inc. Bad Moio is a trademark of Pulse Entertainment. Acclaim IJ a registered trademark of Acclaim , . . , , 

Entertainment, Inc. Windows Is a registered trademark ot Mlcrosoll. Macintosh Is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. http / WWW.badJTlOJO.COm 

Circle Reader Service # 148 


4<<|pim 


for windows and macintosh® 

For information, call 310.264.5579 


YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS.... 


Inside a strange and desolate 
building— a place where souls 
are lost or found, you have the 
perfect plan for escape. But 
there is no such thing as a 
perfect plan.... 


Bad Mojo sends you into a 
world of eerie darkness...as a 
cockroach! What you discover 
may shock you. What you don’t 
may kill you. Either way you 
come out the same. You 
lot even come out as a 
person at all 

Stunning 3D-rendered environ- 
ments, beautiful photo-realistic 
imagery, an original score 
soundtrack and over thirty-five 
minutes of live-action video pull 
you into the mysterious and 
gritty atmosphere of Bad Mojo. 






FREE DEMO at 
www.domark.com or 
our Forum on AOL, 
keyword Domark. 


fast-paced, complex and challenging..." 
-Next Generation 

DESTRUCTION. 




Blow Some Grey Matter Today. 


"It gives the same satisfaction that 
Crusader: No Remorse did, you basically 
lay to waste anything and everything 
around you." -Strategy Plus 


"If you liked Origin's Crusader: No 
Remorse, and wished it had multi-player 
support, you're in luck with Total 
Mayhem." -PC Entertainment 




W ith few habitable planets in known space, and all 
spacelaring races desperate for room to grow, 
Gallius IV was a rare prize indeed. The newly dis- 
covered planet seemed ready to ignite a war of pre- 
viously unseen proportions. /Is the anti-matter beams began flying, 
it became evident that the battle would have no victor— the mass of 
firepower gathered over Gallius IV would only burn away the planet's 
atmosphere if unleashed. It was a no-win situation. A deadlock. 

A treaty was hastily crafted-the Compact of Gallius IV-as none 
of the races wished to see their potential price incinerated. Each 
alien race would send a group of colonists down to the planet, 
equipped with only the bare essentials. The race that first proved 
capable of building five cities-or the race that could first wipe out 
all the other colonists— would gain possession of Gallius IV to 
exploit or colonize as it pleased. 


SWORDS OR PLOWSHARES? 

That's the situation in Deadlock, Accolade’s game of planetary 
conquest. As an alien commander, you’ll work to obtain Gallius IV 
for your people, either peaceably or forcefully. Your opponents will 
be one to six alien races with decidedly different strengths and 
methods, driven by artificial intelligences or networked human play- 
ers. Although it may seem somewhat derivative, at first, the richly 
developed backgrounds of the alien races and the thoroughly 

refined technology 
tree give this game a 
personality all its 
own. 

You’ll start out 
with only 400 
colonists, a city cen- 
ter, a colonizer unit, 
and 500 monetary 
credits to your 
name. Settlers have 
a starter supply of 
food, wood, energy 
and iron. That’s it. 
From there, it's a 
matter of using those 


EW • DEADLOCK 


by Denny Atkin 


resources to build a self-sufficient, expanding colony. Whether your 
planetary conquest plans are honorable or dastardly, you’ll still 
need to build a heavy infrastructure. 

After settling in, you’ll zoom in on your home territory, where 
you’ll build your initial colony SiMCiTY-style. Drop down farms, 
mines, factories, power plants, universities, cultural centers, and 
other buildings as you construct your colony. These structures 
won’t build and run themselves, though. You'll need personnel for 
the construction and operation of each building, as well as the raw 
materials to build them. Personnel are the vital resource in this 
game. The more workers you drop on a building square, the faster 
it will be built, the more it will produce, and the faster it will be 
upgraded when new technologies become available. You’ll start 
with simple structures such as apartments and farms, but eventual- 
ly shipyards, missile bases, tech labs, defense cannons, and other 
high-tech structures come into play. 

Which structures to build is only part of the game; where you 
build them is just as important. Mines work best in rocky regions, 
while the cracked earth squares are best for producing energy. 
Some squares have bonus markers, and will produce above-normal 
quantities of a given resource. When you expand into multiple terri- 
tories, you'll need to consider in which territory you want to build a 
particular structure. While you can transport resources between 
colonized areas, it costs money to do so, and takes time to move 
them. Occasionally, when exploring a new territory, you’ll come 


Construct & 
Conauer s**. 

SimCity Meets Civilization In A Cosmic Battle Over A Newfound Planet 


cc 


58 


MAY 1996 






DEADLOCK • SNEAK 



RESERVE FORCES You can distribute workers to speed production; 
the mob in the apartment at center should be moved to the unoc- 
cupied factory behind it. 


across native shrines or precursor artifacts, which will provide you 
with advanced technologies. 

Once your basic infrastructure is in place, expansion is the name 
of the game. You’re initially equipped with a colonizer, the most 
basic of the military units. The colonizer can scout around for 
acceptable territories, but your best bet is to colonize nearby in 
order to keep your supply lines open. If you choose to attempt a 
peaceable win, you’ll concentrate on defense and building your 
economy to the point where you’ll have the cash and resources 
needed to build city centers in five territories. Military success also 
depends on a strong economy, but you’ll spend the cash on the 
research needed to build the really big guns. 

RACE FOR CONQUEST 

Although all of the aliens start with the same equipment, each 
possesses certain special abilities which will affect their strategies 
for planetary conquest. The insectoid ChCh-t grow population 
extremely quickly. The Vorlon-like Cyth have psionic abilities they 
can use to devastate their opponents. Also, since they're always 
depressed, they aren't affected by low morale like the other races. 

Humans, not surprisingly, have an income advantage due to 
their talent for profit and trade. The horned, chronically ill Maug are 


superb at technological research, while the warlike Tarth build 
incredibly strong armies; The naturalist Uva Mosk are brilliant at 
extracting resources from the planet, while the telepathic Re’Lu 
always know what's going on with the other races. 

Unlike the animatronic-like computer animated aliens you may 
have encountered in other games, the Deadlock aliens actually 
manage to exhibit personality. The warlike Tarth are convincingly 
portrayed as simple, doglike creatures, while the Re’Lu come 
across so smarmy and self-satisfied that you just want to reach up 
to the screen and slap them. 

Brags, insults, threats, and complaints are among your psycho- 
logical arsenal. Usually they're at least amusing, and occasionally 
laugh-out-loud funny. The slow, militaristic Tarth may send a mes- 
sage along the lines of "Now not good time to be Tarth; maybe yes- 
terday, but not today," when things are down for them. On the other 
hand, the Re’Lu are almost always snitty, with comments like “Look 
over your map, notice the flourishing Re'Lu cities, and please be 
jealous." The alien personalities carry into their architecture as well, 
and the included novella gives thorough details on each race's his- 
tory. 

One race refused to participate in the Gallius IV experiment-the 
Skirineen. While they consider themselves above equal competition 
with “inferior” races, they still condescend to take their money. The 
Skirineen serve as Deadlock’s black market, selling resources, 
information, technology, and arms to any race willing to risk the 
repercussions of being caught dealing with them. 

STAR TECH 

Research is the key to ensuring that your alien race takes Gallius 
IV. Building masses of basic troops and attempting to crush your 
enemies without developing advanced technologies is ineffective. 
Defensive technologies, often ignored in games of Deadlock’s ilk, 
are heavily stressed here. Build all the Laser Troopers you want- 
chances are the enemy's Defense Cannons will take them out 
before they can scratch anything. Neuron beams allow you to cre- 
ate Anti-Matter defense systems. 

Not all the technologies are military in nature. Advanced tech- 
nologies are also needed if you’re going to remain economically 
competitive, and they aid in keeping your people happy. Metallurgy 
lets you convert iron into steel. Matter synthesis allows you to build 
food replicators, 
and a well-fed 
populace gener- 
ally has a better 
demeanor. 
Interlink comput- 
ers eliminate 
transport costs, 
and allow units 
to move a greater 
distance. Some 
technologies 
have crossover 
utility: automation 




HAY 1996 


CC 





► 


EW • DEADLOCK 


speeds the conversion of ore and the production of military units, 
and chaos computers not only speed research, but also let you 
build Starflare Bomber units. 

Striking a balance is the key here. Economic and material infra- 


structure is vital, but don't let your defensive capabilities fall 


Select Building 


121 


Factoiy 


Requited T o Build 


150 ci. 

100 Laboi 
50 tons of metal 


Produces 


Tiade Income 
Steel (with Metalurgy) 

Tiiidium (with Moleculai Restructuring) 
Militaiy Units 



[~ Show All Buildings 


Build ] Cancel | Advice 


INDUSTRIAL EVOLUTION Factories are crucial to military and peaceful expansion. They 
build combat units, and convert iron into steel. 



behind. All the money in the world won’t help if you get caught with 
your pants down (assuming the race you’re playing wears pants). 

BATTLE CRIES 

In the Alpha version of Deadlock, the actual battle sequences 
were the weakest elements, particularly when compared with the 
strong resource management and exploration elements. You can 
tell forces to concentrate on eliminating buildings or populace, or 
take a defensive strategy; you can also set a damage level where 
the unit will try to retreat. You get a report on how the battle played 
out at the beginning of the next turn, and you can optionally replay 
a video of the fight. 

Basically, you end up with only a little more control over the bat- 
tle than in games like Civilization. The Deadlock team is consider- 
ing other combat options that allow you to pinpoint specific build- 
ings to attack, so you could, say, take out a threatening missile silo. 
The dilemma is balancing the desire to give the user some strate- 
gic control over the fighting while not making all the other players 
in a multiplayer game sit around and wait on the battle’s resolution. 

FRIENDS AND ALIENS 

Although Deadlock should fare well as a single-player game, it 
truly shines as a multiplayer experience. Up to seven human players 
can participate. The game’s Taunt feature is enjoyable even in single- 
player mode, but it's particularly enjoyable when friends and ene- 
mies are the targets of the computer’s ruthless jibes. You can create 
custom taunts, but you'll have more fun listening to the computer's. 
Choose to send an Insult, Threat, Brag, or Complaint and a beauti- 
fully animated 3-D alien will pop up in a window on your opponents 


screen and annoy them with a randomly chosen witty dig. 

Deadlock's designers have taken into account (he time limita- 
tions inherent in multiplayer games and included a number of fine- 
tuning options that will allow you to tailor the game’s length. An 
optional Fast Production feature speeds the building of cities and 
industrial output. You can set victory to require 5 (the default) cities, 
or bump it to 7, 10, or 15 if you’re looking for a marathon-length 
game. Custom planet sizes can increase-or reduce-the chances 
of bumping up against an unfriendly neighbor. 

Finding opponents shouldn't be too difficult. Deadlock supports 
LAN, Internet, modem, and even e-mail play. 

LOCK AND LOAD 

This is definitely a hybrid game-not only will you be put in the 
mind of SimCity 2000 and Civilization, but the economics and 
exploration elements may remind long-time gamers of the another 
classic. If all the elements continue to come together as well as 
they have so far, this could very well be the M.U.L.E. of the 1990s. 
Ask any long-time gamer and you’ll discover that's high praise 
indeed.^ 


AlCarumba 

T he weakest part of the alpha version of Deadudck 
that we examined was the artificial intelligence. Of 
course, at this point in development, the Al was 
still even a bit confused about some of the rules. 
Thus, much of our play so far has been in network mode. We 
quizzed Deadlock's programming team about the Al that would 
drive the final game. It seems that the alien Als will function 
more or less like the government bureaucracies, only they’ll be 
efficient. 

At the head of the organizational chart of each alien race's 
Al structure is the president. It’s this randomly chosen charac- 
ter who will determine the overall tactics of a race in a particu- 
lar game— economic or militaristic. The president chooses Al 
ministers of technology, defense, war, government, commerce, 
and labor each of whom is responsible for managing certain 
sectors of the colony’s infrastructure. The labor minister, for 
instance, attempts to provide as many happy workers as possi- 
ble. To accomplish this, he requests the necessary resources to 
provide enough food, culture, and housing to create a happy 
and growing populace. Similarly, the defense minister does 
what’s necessary to keep from losing territory, by requesting 
the resources needed to build defensive weaponry and the mili- 
tary forces needed to protect each territory. 

Each minister is assigned a priority by the president, so a 
warlike government is more likely to favor the technology, 
defense, and war ministers' requests. All of this goes on 
behind the scenes, invisible to the player. Accolade is consider- 
ing implementing an extra set of the Al ministers who could 
offer the player advice upon request, informing you of the tac- 
tics they would choose if playing at the behest of an Al presi- 
dent. 

These techniques should result in computer players who 
play with rich, involved strategies that involve building a com- 
plete infrastructure, instead of simpleton routines that concen- 
trate only on the resources that are absolutely necessary to 
win the game. 


cc 


MAY 1996 






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To order, visit your retailer, 

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Wizardry is a registered trademark of Sirtech Software, Inc.; Reg'd in Canada. 




LEE 


Interested? Visit your local retailer or call 1-800-GAMETEK. 
See our new GameTek Web Site at http://www.gametek.com 

GAMETEK 

©1995 Intergalactic Development, Inc. The War College Is a trademark of GameTek (FL), Inc. 

2999 Northeast 191st Street, Suite 500, Aventura, Florida 33180 U.S.A. 

Circle Reader Service if 235 


JB E R G 

• Solid modeled 3D battlefields, units and unit frontages. 

• Hundreds of pages of on-line interactive historical and 
biographical documentation. 

• Basic disk includes the battles of: Pharsalus, Antietam, 
Austerlitz and Tannenberg. 

• Change dozens of variables that the computer uses to 
calculate combat, movement, morale, range of artillery 
fire, effectiveness of musketry fire and melee combat. 


The War College defines “cutting edge" technology in 
computer war gaming with artificial intelligence routines 
recognized as “the world’s best!” 


H IN U E 

The War College'! 1 . . the most sophisticated, most successful 
military battle simulator, brought to you by the award 
winning authors of - The Universal Military Simulator 
I & II - the best-selling computer wargame of all time! 





W elcome; Cadets'. As you’re . , 
undoubtedly aware, the- . 
galaxy is* a harsh, inhos- 
pitable place, where the 
unprepared willquickly find 
that in space, you can hear. - 
yourself scream.. OUr jpb is to keep that from 
happening.*, ‘ . * . 

In-the pages following you’ll find guides ‘ 
that will show* you the proper, strategies' for 
survival and vi.ctory in three galactic environ- 


mand decisions. If planetary combat is. your 
field *of choice, the tactics id the MecAwarrior 
, 2: Ghost Bear’s Legacy strategy guide should 
prepare you well. If your speci.al.abilities 
have landed you in the' Temporal Investigation. 
Brigade,* ydu’ll. find the tale .of the 
Chronoma'ster an invaluable guide to solving 
mysteries that span- the strMrtflBjHime. 

If your aptitude *tests have shown that your 
prowess- is in the Galactic Accpn#n% Corps 
rather than in the cockpjftBfaStarFhry, don’t 


ments. Space combat pilots will find the despair. Point ydurwdnbrmivser to 

guide to Wing Commander IV not only helpjul www.zdnet.com/gaming and follow the 

for mastering offensive and defensive maneu-""' lessons. ia our guide to Space Bucks. 
vers, but also a good guide to making com- 






by Scott A. May 


BACK IN ACTION 

Forty years of interstellar war with the Kilrathi have 
to an end. Your alter ego, war hero Christopher 
Blair, has retired from the Confederate Navy to become a 

farmer. Yet all is far from serene in this corner of the universe. 
Renegade troops from the Border Worlds, who fought so bravely along- 
Terran forces in the Kilrathi wars, have begun attacking non-military 
ships. Admiral Tolwyn, now commander of the Strategic 
Readiness Agency, vows to eradicate the rebels, ending speculation of 
civil war. 

Blair soon finds himself recalled to active duty, a message gleefully 
delivered by the abrasive Maniac, his former star wingman. The pair 
immediately to Tolwyn aboard Confed's new supercarrier 
Lexington, commanded by their trusted old friend, captain Eisen. Blair 
soon notices something odd about Eisen’s behavior, as if he’s hiding 
something. Not long into the initial missions, Eisen is unceremoniously 
removed from command. He’s replaced by the arrogant captain 
Paulsen, who comes aboard armed with a brazen attitude that smacks 
of Tolwyn’s influence. 

Otherwise faithful crew members begin to question Paulsen’s pres- 
ence and Confed's harsh directives. Is this conflict with the Border 
Worlds a setup? The rebels' declaration of independence seems oddly 


HIDE AND SEEK Plier’s cloaking device will get you out of many jams, and is your best 
defense in some of the game's tough covert missions, 


pleasing to Tolwyn, who uses the announcement to escalate the Confed 
offensive. What could be his hidden agenda? As tensions mount, a fate- 
ful decision must be made: Do you back the system, like any dutiful sol- 
dier, or do you trust the instincts that tell you something is horribly 
wrong? 

MISSIONS CRITICAL 

Nuances: most missions in WC4 are full of them. Sometimes it’s 
best to ignore your instincts and read between the lines of your mission 
objectives. For example, in one of the earliest missions, you’re ordered 
to follow a group of pirate ships to their home base. Your natural ten- 
dency may be to ride their tails, an itchy finger poised on the fire button. 
Get too close, however, and they’ll jump, leaving you high and dry. 
Instead, stay about 20,000 klicks behind until they approach their base, 
then press T to target the carrier. When the computer announces “mis- 
sion complete," stop immediately and return to base before you’re spot- 
ted. 

On the first ground mission (B3, see the mission chart sidebar), 


►STRATEGY - WING COMMANDER IV 

DOGFIGHTING 

WITH 

HELLCATS 

Tactics To Keep Torpedoes Out Of Your Tailpipe In Wing IV 


T he price of freedom is eternal vigilance. This 
is a phrase you'll hear repeated often in 
Wing Commander IV, Cadet, and it's your 
key to success in Origin’s latest and great- 
est space combat adventure. You'll find this 
is no ordinary pilot training; here you'll learn 
that sometimes you'll have to make some hard choices 
that aren’t covered by the reg books. 

No longer confronted by one conspicuous source of 
aggression, the game continually blurs the line between 
good and evil. This is a superb blend of character study, 
twists and white-knuckle action, where survival 
as much on logic skills as tactical prowess. 




'Mrygearheads: 

War is 


fun. 

f 


A fast-paced, wacked-out, 
wind-up toybox full of fun. 
Say hello to Disasteroid, 
Zapbot, Deadhead, 
Kangaruffian and company. 
You'll pick a team for 
speed, power and 
maneuverability. Then 
launch them against 
an opponent or 
your computer. 


environments, each with increas- 
ing levels of difficulty. You'd 
better have a strategy and 
think fast. 'Cause the one who 
ends up with the most toys wins. 

Gear heads. For grownups 
who still like to fight over toys. 
For Windows and Mac CD-ROM. 


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PHILIPS 


Circle Reader Service til 43 




SAY CHEESE In the photo recon mission, use Smart Targeting to eliminate those pesky 
ground defenses, then snap away. 


you’re required to take reconnaissance photos of the ground base in 
preparation for the next mission, hostage rescue. First take out the SAM 
with your Hellcat’s main missiles, then turn your attention to the 
Banshee fighters. If you detect an incoming missile launch, turn into the 
missiles and immediately drop a decoy, then veer after using afterburn- 
Once all threats are eliminated, turn off Smart Targeting and toggle 
on your cameras, using the H key to avoid accidentally blasting the 
base (and the hostage). If you take less than ten photos, you’ll 
the mission and encounter heavy fighter attacks as you return to 


incoming missiles. Afterburn ahead of them (toward 
the transports), reverse direction and use Stormfire 
cannons to take out the torpedoes. Don't waste time! 
The longer it takes to destroy the frigates, the more 
missiles and Hellcats you’ll have to face. 

One of the game’s first truly difficult missions 
requires you to infiltrate a Comm station by depositing 
and retrieving two Manned Insertion Pods while fend- 
ing off wave after wave of fierce Hellcat attacks. Your 
first objective should be to destroy the nearby radar 
buoy, which will limit the total number of Hellcat 
attacks. This is the first mission in which you’ll use 
Plier’s cloaking device. Cloak to avoid immediate 
detection and take out the radar buoy. Next, launch the 
two MIPs and turn your attention to the Hellcats. As 
this mission nears completion, prepare for a stunning 
blow: success requires that one of your close friends 
must die. When the MIP signals a launch from the 
Comm station, drop shields to 75 percent, switch to 
the Avenger’s rear turret and turn on tractor beams. Make sure your 
ship remains aimed directly at the target MIP, but not too close, then 
hold down the fire button to draw it into your bay. Turn off cloaking 
before retrieving the MIP, even if you’re under fire, because it's next to 
impossible to locate the MIP signal on the black-and-white cloaked dis- 
play. 

FIGHTING WORDS 

In combat, you'll need to be ready to react instantly. Two of the most 
potent weapons in your arsenal don’t go “boom’’ at all: the Leech Gun 


TALK TO ME To avoid unnecessary legwork, press the M key aboard ship to quickly find crew 
members eager for conversation. 


►STRATEGY - WING COMMANDER IV 


In the following rescue mission, take out the 
turrets and SAM sites as soon as possible 
and keep close watch on the transport ship: it's a 
sitting duck atop the complex. Lose the transport 
and you’ll lose the game. 

Another ground mission, near the middle of the 
game, takes place on Circe, where you must pre- 
vent 10 hover tanks from destroying the Climate 
Control Center. They move fast, so be diligent. 

First, order your wingmen to attack the marauding 
Hellcats, then concentrate your efforts on the tanks. 
Choose a fast self-locking missile, such as Image 
Recognition or Friend-or-Foe, then engage in a 
series of low-level strafing runs, targeting and firing 
at multiple tanks as quickly as possible. Don’t for- 
get to watch your altitude! 

Your first mission in the Orestes system is to 
save a Border Worlds convoy from pursuing 
Confed forces. Upon arrival, Confed Cap ships 
already launched torpedoes, with more to fol- 
if you don’t quickly disable the frigates. One 
tactic is to immediately order wingmen to attack 
the Cap ships and concentrate your efforts on the 




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A267 



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the OMEN Vagabond’s first loss at cards sets an eerie mood; foreshadowing plays an 
important role in many of the game’s cinematic scenes. 


T he game world of WC4 is a vast, unfriendly universe, gov- 
erned by a complex branching storyline. The path you fol- 
low is indirectly affected by the remarks you make during 
cinematic encounters, but mostly by your in-flight perfor- 
mance during combat, covert and recon missions. Game flow is divid- 
ed into 13 mission series of various length, each containing between 
1 and 7 total assignments. Not all missions are essential for comple- 
tion of the game. In fact, many are dead ends, accessible only if 
you've followed the wrong course of logic or failed to complete the 
objectives described in the preliminary briefings. The following chart 
outlines each series (coded A-G and J-O), the total number of mis- 
sions available, and how many are cmcial to fly a straight path 
through the game. To view your current location in the game, press 
Alt-V at any time during spaceflight. For example, B5 indicates you are 
on the fifth mission of series B. 

The game features 48 missions. If you were to chart a direct 
course from beginning to end, no fewer than 37 of these must be 
completed. There are two different losing endgame sequences, spread 
among 19 critical junctures in your overall adventure. 


SERIES 

TOTAL 

CRITICAL 

CODE 

MISSIONS 

MISSIONS 

A 

1 

1 

B 

6 

4 

C 

3 

3 

D 

3 

3 

E 

2 

2 

F 

3 

3 

G 

3 

3 

J 

3 

2 

K 

7 

4 

L 

7 

4 

M 

4 

3 

N 

5 

4 

0 

1 

1 


BROTHER'S KEEPER Wingmen play an even greater role in WC4. 
Choose one with high morale and an aggressive spirit if you want to 
survive. 


►STRATEGY - WING COMMANDER IV 


spread of its five ion blasts, you’re more likely to score hits 
even if your aim is 1 a bit off. The Scattergun is also an 
excellent choice for taking out Cap ship turrets, as well as 
the rear turrets of enemy fighters and bombers. 

Taking a pounding from enemy fighters? Reduce power 
allocations to your engine and damage repair to fortify your 
shields and weapons, then call for wingman assistance (if 
available). You may lose speed, but your shields and guns 
will recharge must faster, at least giving you a fighting 
chance. When the incoming barrage lessens, switch all 
power to damage repair, but keep a close eye on your radar 
for more fighters. Remember that you can also lock individ- 
ual power systems to keep them from draining completely. 

An effective tactic when attacking Cap ships with the 
Banshee or Dragon is to Autoslide (initiated by pressing the 
Caps Lock key). This lets you turn to face your targets while 
maintaining a steady forward course. The downside to 


cc 


and Leech Missile. Rather than releasing energy, they absorb it, over- 
loading the target’s power system and often rendering it totally disabled. 
One missile should disable even an Ace-level fighter. Hound their tail 
lire quickly before they drop a decoy, otherwise you’ll waste a mis- 
After one hit, your opponent’s ship will begin to lose power and 
considerably. Press the Y key to match your target’s speed, other- 
you run the risk of overshooting them, or worse, ramming them, 
ech Guns are also highly effective against Cap ships. As you make 
run, take note of the percentage counter that appears next to your 
readout. Usually two or three runs will be enough to bring it 
up to 100 percent, leaving the behemoth drifting helplessly in space. 

Scatterguns, found on the Banshee light fighter, prove especially 
effective against heavy fighters and bombers. Described as an “ion 
shotgun,” Scatterguns have a much wider spread than most other 
weapons and are nearly twice as powerful as the Banshee’s primary 
laser cannons. The refire rate may be slower, but because of the wide 




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►STRATEGY - WING COMMANDER IV 



DRESSED TO KILL Study your objectives and load the appropriate weapons. Leech 
missiles help level the odds against bigger, faster opponents. 


i autoslide is a dangerous vulnerability to attacking fighters. If under 
releasing autoslide triggers a special maneuver called Slide & 
which causes your ship to immediately head in the direction its 
nose is pointing. Skilled pilots can use Slide & Pop to elude persistent 
ships and instantly change the angle of attack during dogfights. 
Rookie pilots are most likely to waste shots by firing at the first sign 
enemy radar blip. The trick is not to fly too fast (overshooting your 
or too slow (he'll zoom by so fast, you'll never draw a reliable 
bead). Instead, lock the target and immediately match his speed. Watch 
the ITTS indicator to turn red, which signals a sure hit, before firing. 
Broadside attacks are often a matter of luck as much as skill; head-on 
attacks ensure greater success, but are mutually dangerous to friend 
foe. The best tactic is to lock a target and ride its tail. If you find 
this role reversed, with an enemy fighter hounding your tail, switch to 
rear turrets (if so equipped). Although most rear turreted fighters 
automatic defense systems, manual targeting is usually more 


Attack Bearcats from above and avoid using autoslide; their auto- 
turrets will cut you to ribbons. Hellcats are pesky opponents, 
to their rapid shield regeneration. For this reason, if you score a 
hits on a single ship, stick to it like glue and blast away until 
Hellcats and Banshees are deadly in numbers, especially 
they group behind you. Drop some mines or use the Slide & Pop 
to reverse direction, allow them to pass, then pop back on 
six. 

Avengers and Thunderbolts have deadly maneuverability. Use your 
Leeching arsenal to slow them down to a crawl, then attack from above. 
Both Thunderbolts and Vindicators are known for their kamikaze tactics; 
if they can't shoot you down, they’ll try to ram you. If you're flying a 
Dragon, you'll be able to see other Dragons even if they are cloaked — 
just look for the telltale outline (or damage sparks, if they’ve been hit) 

I and pound away. 


OFFICE POLITICS 

Character interaction in key cinematic sequences won’t 
directly affect your ability to win the game. Your reactions to 
dialogue prompts-negative or positive, cool or hot-headed- 
will, however, sometimes raise or lower morale among individ- 
ual crew member Keep in mind that some responses are 
merely red herrings, adding spice to the dialogue with no 
effect on temperament or loyalty. In fact, not all characters 
have variable morale, particularly new recruits from the Border 
Worlds. Wingmen suffering from low morale-such as 
Catscratch, Panther and Hawk-are less likely to jump at your 
command or give it their all during combat. You can ascertain 
a wingman’s morale during in-flight chatter: If their response 
is exuberant, they're flying high; if they seem indifferent, 
they’ve got the deep-space blues. 

Often the outcome of your actions won't be felt until much 
later in the game. Because the game constantly blurs the line 
between allies and villains, a pilot or commander you upset in 
conversation may one day prove to be your mortal enemy. 
Choose to confront Seether during the opening bar fight, for 
example, and he’ll be extra aggressive in your final meeting. 
Ignore him, on the other hand, and he’ll taunt your willingness to stand 
up for your beliefs. 

Though this may seem rather vague, the best advice is to follow your 
heart-or in this case, the true nature of the lead character, Blair. 
Remember that loyalty isn’t always defined by duty, but by the person. 
Perhaps more than any previous game in the series, you have to be a 
good judge of human nature and character motivation. Reward admira- 
tion with quiet compassion, yet learn to temper your aggression when 
confronted with a potentially volatile encounter. 


any WC4 missions saddle you with seemingly impossible 
objectives, outnumbered and overwhelmed by enemy 
forces. What’s a red-blooded, resourceful spacefighter to 
do? Cheat, of course. Just don’t tell anyone— especially 


The most radical alternation you can make is aptly called Chicken 
Mode. At the DOS command prompt, type: WC4 -chicken. You’ll 
know you’re in business if the program loads with the line, “Chicken 
Mode [ON] Boc Boc!" Now during space and ground combat, you 
can press Ctrl-W to instantly destroy a targeted ship. Pressing Ctrl-Alt- 
W will destroy all enemies on your radar. Unscrupulous pilots can use 
this to virtually walk through the game, although you must still work 
through the non-combat sequences as normal. A more ethical use of 
Chicken Mode would be a last-ditch attempt to surmount some of the 
game’s more frustrating missions. 

Note that although Chicken Mode has no effect on game flow or 
final outcome, any enemies destroyed by this secret weapon do not 
count on your kill board. Be aware that cheating can also backfire on 
you, destroying enemy installations whose capture or infiltration is 
critical to completing your mission objective. 

Origin has stated that “unofficial” command line cheats and hacked 
TSRs could cause the program to crash and worse, possibly damage 
data files, forcing you to reinstall the product and start from scratch. 





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►STRATEGY - MECHWARRIOR 2: GHOST GEAR'S LEGACY 


CLAW AND 
FANG 

A Tale of Ghost Bear Vengeance 


by Martin E. Cirulis 


M ech training. Where your mind must become one 
with your machine. Experience can impart more wis- 
dom than 1,000 instruction manuals. So, Cadet, read 
through the transcript below, from a matrix discov- 
ered by a Scavenger unit circa 3058. Many entries 
were lost, but you'll discover that it not only contains 
tactical references to pre-merger technology Mech combat, but also 
valuable insights into the soc/pol state of Humanity during the Clan Era, 
directly before the coming of The Fury. You'll find it a worthy reference 
for the Mechwarrior 2 expansion module, Ghost Bear's Legacy. 

Entry 23 (Mission 1): I won my 
Right of Position with ease. My choice 
of a Timber Wolf with a double LRM 
load was perfect, and not only did I 
shatter the Horned Owl that first came 
at me across the frozen trial arena, but I 
was able to put down the Grizzly that 
waited behind the hills as well. 

Entry 24 [Mission 2— Defend on 
Mennendorf): If I were one of the Inner 
Sphere rabble who pilot Mechs, I would 
be off getting intoxicated somewhere. I 
have fought my first actual field combat 
and brought honor to my Clan. We were 
told that there were renegade 
MechWarriors, little more than pirates, 
in the area, and that guarding the new 
HPG array was important duty. In my 
arrogance, I considered this mere talk to 
help the untried save face. I was wrong. 

Just after dawn, HPG security reported two Mercenary Mechs 
approaching from the south, a 35-ton Raven scouting for an Atlas, a for- 
midable assault-class Mech despite inferior Inner Sphere technology. 

My Starmates raced to engage but something held me back in my 
TimberWolf, studying my readouts. They had to see that they were out- 
numbered and outgunned-and yet they loitered, a kilometer away from 
the HPG, drawing my Starmates into a close-quarter fight. As much as I 
wanted my share of the glory, the situation stank of Stravag trickery, and 
so I maintained station, using my LRM’s in the support fire mode. 

Just as I watched the Merc Atlas shudder with an internal explosion, 
my proximity sensors went off. From the top of the cliffs behind the 


HPG Array jumped four Ravens. They had used ECM to get close and 
then powered up to full attack mode once they thought their feint had 
drawn off our Mechs. As they fell upon the base, firing at will, I was 
upon them like a bear roused early from his sleep. Their light armor 
was no match for my high-energy claws, and before their relief force 
could fight through my distant Starmates, I had reduced the four back- 
stabbers to so much burning metal. With the base safe I was free to 
switch back to my LRM racks and ravage the distant heavy Mechs. 

Entry 27 (Mission 3— Trial of Position) The Draconis Combine has 
torn the heart from The Bear. We may be the strongest Clan now, but 


with our genetic heritage stolen there is no future for the Ghost Bear. 
There will be no Terra for our Clan, there will be no survival, unless we 
can retrieve the genes of our ancestors. 

All non-garrison units have been recalled to Alshain to compete in a 
Trial of Combat to determine who will receive the honor of Questing. 
After a week of nearly constant combat, it is down to us and Zherinov's 
Star. I have been told that Zherinov will field a Marauder, a Warhawk and 
command from his Naga. Through careful study of simulations I have 
decided that come tomorrow, I will vector my Starmates to engage the 
Naga at close range while I destroy the WarHawk at long range. I have 
earned the right to use a Kodiak and will be taking the LRM-20 rack and 



BEARING DOWN A flock of Ravens come to pick the bones of the Bear HPG station. Wait until these cow- 
ards hit the ground and tear them apart at close range. 


cc 


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►STRATEGY - IV1ECHWARRI0R 2: GHOST GEAR’S LEGACY 



Anti-missile system modifications. May Kerensky grant me the skill I 
need to win victory, and the right to save my Clan from Inner Sphere 
treachery. 

Entry 28 (Mission 4- Defend Dropship): No sooner had my Star 
won the Right of Combat than our Dropship was beset by Draconis 
Forces. The cowards chose to drop from the skies, but this time they 
had the firepower of a lance of Victors led by an Atlas. Thank Ursa, I 
retained the modified Kodiak for this mission. The fighting was so fierce 
we nearly failed to notice a group of solitary soldiers in primitive battle- 
suits as they carried Nuclear Demolition charges toward our Dropship’s 
hull. Without waiting for a lock, I sprayed the ground around our ship 
with LRM fire, eradicating the battle-suits before they could arm the 
bombs. 

Nuclear Weapons! I could barely believe it as 
the Techs decontaminated our Mechs. No won- 
der the Inner Sphere is in chaos. They are like 
mad beasts, not warriors. The Kurultai was right 
to withdraw Batchall for the duration of this 
quest. These monsters are too dangerous to 
afford them honor. 

Entry 31 (Mission 7, 8-Raid on Wolcott, 

Circle of Equals): The raid on Wolcott went bad 
from the start. I ordered my Starmate in her 
Kodiak to destroy the Draconis Atlas on guard, 
while my faster TimberWolf searched for the 
Draconis General’s Mech-but before I could 
get a lock, I was beset by pairs of Ravens that 
failed to show up on my scanners. Somehow 
the Draconis techs had discovered a way to con- 
fuse our lock-on computers, and I was forced to 
dodge through the trees, aiming with my eyes 
alone. 


Clan weaponry and armor helped carry me 
through the ambushes. But, no sooner had I 
given my word to the Draconis General that he 
would not be killed if he told us where the 
Mechs that had stolen our gene banks had 
come from, when my commander called and 
ordered me to declare vengeance on the man. 
Seeing that the general’s violent death now 
would serve no purpose other than dooming 
the entire Ghost Bear Clan, I refused. The 
information was given to me and the Khan her- 
self has blessed my actions, but I must 
nonetheless face my own commander in a Trial 
of Grievance. 

As much as it pains me, I know him now to 
be a fool. He chooses a heavy Mech while I 
stay with my familiar TimberWolf. As he 
charges straight in, hoping to overwhelm my 
armor, I retrograde at full speed on a tangent 
course while pouring rack after rack of LRM 

fire into him. 

Entry 46 (Mission 14— Undeiwater Strike): Immediately after touch- 
ing down on the murky seabed, I turned left and climbed the short 
ridge in front of me. From the top, closest to the cliff face I spotted an 
enemy Linebacker on a 345 bearing. It was shut down, and though I 
could barely resist the urge to call the pilot out for honorable battle, I 
knew that the underwater modifications had left my Mech unable to take 
even one unnecessary hit. Instead of behaving like a Ristar, I acted like 
the lowest Dezgra and maneuvered slowly to expose the Linebacker 
without leaving the safety of my ridge. Then, with a Surkai on my lips I 
fired four PPC’s straight into his cockpit. The comm didn’t even carry a 
scream. 



cc 




|pnii 


||| 

H 

^ y.' 

IjgfS!! 






between me and the last turret until I was 
ready to destroy it at my leisure. 

I switched to enhanced imaging to see 
where the hull breach was, and jetted 
carefully up through it, emerging to face 
four Wolf heavy mechs at close range. 
Three bursts of group fire were enough to 
destroy the charging TimberWolf; then I 
backed into a shielded corner, destroying 
each enemy Mech as they came at me. 
My sensor revealed a Rhino waiting in the 
reactor room itself, but my concept of 
honor has changed so much that I decid- 
ed to allow the pilot to meet his fate with 
the station. Knowing I would have less 
than a minute to get free, I sighted on the 
reactor wall unit from the cargo bay, 
using the connecting corridor. A few 
short bursts ruptured the core, and I spun 
and raced for the hull breach. As tempt- 
ing as it was to go at flank speed, I resist- 
ed, knowing that the zero-G conditions would send me careening over 
the exit instead of down it. 

As I drifted downwards I triggered the autopilot and set the throttle at 
four, so the moment I touched down on my Dropship’s hull, the com- 
puter would take me to the airlock most efficiently. The lock doors were 
almost safely closed when everything went bright white, and the dream 
of the mad Wolves died forever. 

(Garbled matrix.) ...eward my genes will be preserved for future gen- 
erations, but would the Khan so ordered if she knew of my dou... 

...another way? Are we better off being again as we... 

...ssions of the warriors of the Inner Sphere. Love, hate, birth... 

...Stravag all but. ...wonder? 

It is not known if this warrior survived to fight the Long Retreat. The 
last fragments of the journal are intriguing. Could he have sensed what 
was coming? 

I am probably mistaken. How could they have continued their useless 
little wars amongst themselves if even one knew The Fury was coming 
out of the dark for them all? 


G host Bear’s Legacy provides a slew of new (and old) 

Mechs to fight with, as well a couple of nasty vehicular 
surprises. Mech-jocks would do well to pummel the 
Schrek PPC tanks at very long range while moving at a 
Tangent, and you will only make the mistake of coming too close to 
an SRM-Cam'er once. 

The Inner Sphere designs are nice to see, especially Old-timers like 
jthe Atlas and Victor, but as far as the new Clan jobs, the only one 
that competes with the TimberWolf is the Kodiak assault Mech. The 
standard configs are all right, but I prefer to downgrade the Auto-can- 
non to a 10 and slap in a large LRM rack and an Anti-missile battery. 


- MECHWARRIOR 2: GHOST BEAR’S LEGACY 


I charged forward, planning to use the explosion and steam as cover, 
but when I reached the wreckage, two more heavy Mechs activated at 

degrees relative and I was forced to take cover there behind an 
upward slope in the cliff. As the enemy fire exploded uselessly against 
cliff from below, I edged forward and waited for them to pull back 
before I let fly with my torpedoes over the lip of the cliff. Once they were 
both crippled I leapt down and finished them off quickly with PPC fire. 

Twice, on the way to find the stolen Draconis Mechs, I found myself 
to take cover from wings of attack subs. Though capable of 
PPC fire, the subs were large and vulnerable to partially aimed 
barrage from my weapons. I would charge to the top of a hill, unleash 
or three fusillades, and then back down the shielding side before I 
could be incinerated. 

Once in the cave complex I switched to enhanced imaging to help 
gauge the winding passages, and used the satellite map to precise- 
Dlan my ambushes of the Mechs responsible for the theft of our pre- 
birthright. Thanks to my raid we finally come to the end of this 
The mad Crusader splinter of the Wolf Clan is responsible; their 
of conquest require genes for future warriors. Their Khan ban- 
mem and denied them children, so the Stravag took ours. 

Entry 65 (Mission 17-Destroy Orbital Platform ): I retrieved the cells 
of our ancestors successfully, but still it was not enough. 

My Kodiak was modified for the space assault by adding jump jets of 
four rating, and refitted with PPCs and barrage-class medium pulse 
lasers. No missiles, as the action promised to be too fast for lock-ons to 
be achieved. 

I emerged from the airlock to an incredible storm of fire from four of 
the Wolf Platform's turrets. The only way to find cover was to jet straight 
up against the platform’s hull above me, switch to group fire and quickly 
destroy the two turrets on my rear flanks. Falling back to my dropship I 
ran and engaged the forward turret while keeping the platform's belly 





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Circle Reader Service #214 




by Charles Ardai 


The time is out of joint; 

O cursed spite, 

That ever I was bom to set it right ! 

—Hamlet 

used to say that time waits for no man, but that was in the 
5 before stasis bombs could freeze an entire universe in an 
ant. Those were better days, Jester. 

Why do you say that, Korda ? You couldn 7 have made a fortune as a 
designer of pocket universes back then, sweetie. 

Fine, maybe not better. But easier. 

Your life's pretty easy, Sugar Pop. You're retired. 

What does that mean, Jester? A crisis comes up, Earth still calls me 
to solve it. Remember when those two universes were thrown into 
and we got a tip that five more were going to be sabotaged? 
matter that I was retired then. 

You were very brave, sweetie. 

Maybe so-but brave ain’t easy. 

What was so hard? 

What wasn't? Let me jog your memory... 

BURBS OF URBS 

First came the call from Earth. I networked with my fellow designers 
find out more, but every- 
was in the dark. Two 
had been shut down, 
the designer of five oth- 
ers had died mysteriously. I 
at random: I'd deal 
urbs first, Aurans after. 

The job of restarting a 
[ frozen world is a tricky one. 
f First you have to set up a 
’ resonance tracer at magnet- 
ic north and then you follow 
signal to the hidden 
World Key. Only then can 
you untangle the problem 
! causing the stasis and get 
j the gears moving again. 


TIME FOR A CHAT In the time-twisted pocket universes of 
Chronomaster, it never hurts to ask questions of 
anyone-even parrots squawk out the truth occasionally. 


On Urbs, a huge statue was blocking magnetic north. Exposure to 
the bottled time I carried animated the statue, but I couldn't convince it 
to move until I faced it wearing the uniform and insignia of the Urbs 
army. A uniform was easy to acquire: dead soldiers lay strewn about the 
battlefield at a nearby fort. A general’s insignia was on display in the 
museum, but a laser security system made that harder to nab. After I 
uncrated an antique shield and found a rag, though, I was able to polish 
it off. 

After raising the flag of Urbs’ enemies in the park, I woke the statue 
again and it moved. The resonance tracer pointed me back toward the 
fort, where my insignia got me past a scanner and into an armory. A 
bound prisoner stood before the frozen beams of a robotic firing squad, 
and I knew that if I passed too close the beams would emerge from sta- 
sis and complete their deadly path. Fortunately, I found a way to shield 
the prisoner from them. In gratitude, he gave me a tip I could use on 
Aurans. 

Checking my Direction Finder, I found my way to an elevator and 
from there to a nuclear reactor guarded by one loyal guard and one fal- 
tering guard. I knew that on a world like Urbs, it was the loyal guard I 
had to back. Sure enough, the Key appeared, taking the form of a slid- 
ing-tile puzzle. Piece of cake. Facing down the ruling council after stasis 
was lifted was harder, but a combination of bluffing and discreet respect 
did the trick. My sentence of execution was commuted. 


THE WARRENS OF AURANS 

Magnetic North on Aurans, like everything else on 
this desert world, was buried under the sand. When 
I tried to place my machinery, I dislodged a bottle 
and woke the six angry jinn imprisoned inside. They 
demanded to be fed the "Dates of Fasting" and flew 
me to a fruit-rich oasis. But which fruit was I to 
pick? Fortunately, my ship has detailed files on Earth 
religions, and I was able to choose the right meal. 

A trip to the canyons brought me face-to-face with 
a rockslide, quicksand sinkholes, and a ravenous 
Ketter beast, all frozen in mid-movement. Fancy foot- 
work got me past the first two, but I had to feed the 
beast a carcass from the oasis (along with some 
bottled time) to get it to leave the scene. Once it was 
gone, I took some tiles and a turban from the nomad 
it had mauled. The turban would come in handy 


►TIPS & HINTS - CHRONOMASTER 


ITS ABOUT 
TIME 

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cc 




SODA Partners 


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►TIPS & HINTS - CHRONOMASTER 


when confronting harsh 
desert weather, though I 
had to mend it first. 

On a plateau near a lake, 

I found Arabou the Trader, 
whom the prisoner on Urbs 
had spoken of. Talking with 
him proved fruitful: he gave 
me a magic flute and 
magic sandals. The sandals 
got me across the spider- 
webs in the cavern, and a 
bit more elbow grease got 
me out of the maze that lay 
past them. Then the flute 

helped me go mano-a-mano with the giant spider in 
the nomad camp. Facing down the nomad chief 
required a more conventional weapon-fortunately, as 
long as I was dressed like one of them, their guard 
was willing to lend me a sword. 

Generous people, nomads. Another lent me her veil, 
and after I fortified it with my Universal Tool it got me 
past the mirages that blocked my way to the palace. 

Once inside, I visited the bathing pool (where my tiles 
came in handy, once I used the flute to get rid of 
another bather) and the treasury (where I heeded the 
warning not to take too much). The harem was my next 
stop, but first I had to pass a guard and another Ketter 
beast. What would satisfy each? Well, I didn’t need the 
sword any more, and no beast could refuse a nap after lapping up 
some of the pool’s calming waters. 

The World Key was in the harem, waiting only for me to give up the 
bottle before it revealed itself. The crest of Aurans needed to be rebuilt: 
fortunately, I’d seen it often enough, and jigsaw puzzles have never held 
me up for long. 

VIVA FORTUNA! 

But the crisis wasn't over. The saboteur had made it to Fortuna, plan- 
et of a thousand games of chance. I got there and found the enemy’s 
ship right out in the open-but it was impossible to enter even after I'd 
tricked the ship into eliminating the service droid that blocked my path. 

The casino, on the other hand, was simple to enter. I tried my hand 
at a few games, first using my Universal Tool and a lucky rabbit’s foot I 
bought at the bar to improve my chances. I also talked to the bartender 
about the race Fortuna’s ruler intended to participate in later in the day, 
and to the band, which told me it would help me out if I found them a 
new glifnod. Fortuitously, one of the ugly musical instruments was for 
sale at the security counter. I played it like a pro, and the band gave me 
a tip in return. 

Next, after using the camera I’d found in the bar to duplicate a 
guard’s badge, I used the fake badge to bum a ride on the subway. 
Speaking of bums, a ragged guy in the subway gave me a tip I parlayed 


into a nice gambling win, and helped me find the extra 
ace that came in so handy (when paired with the other 
ace I’d found in the casino) during the Wild West poker 
game I wound up in at the end of the subway line. 
Magnetic north happened to be in the saloon, and my 
tools told me once again that the World Key was back 
where I’d come from. 

When I arrived at the casino, I found one guard 
knocked out and, after hunting through the maze of 
ducts and corridors she'd been guarding, the rest of the 
security staff tied up next to a live bomb. Showing one of 
them my badge quieted their fears, and covering the 
bomb deadened the explosion. We reactivated the moni- 
tors in time to catch the saboteur using his password to 
open his ship. (My Universal Tool, 
bless it, helped me make out 
what he said.) 

The ship opened just as easily 
when I said it, revealing a partially 
constructed stasis bomb and a 
lockpick I was able to hammer 
into just the right shape to get me 
past the one locked door in the 
tunnels. I walked in on the sabo- 
teur-Milo was his name-but he 
won me over just in time to pre- 
vent me from arresting him. A 
grave injustice had been done, it 
seemed, and he was just righting 
powerful wrongs. I made a quick decision: I agreed to join him. 

I unraveled Fortuna's glifnod-like World Key puzzle, then joined forces 
with Milo to beat Fortuna’s ruler in his race. (Milo’s stasis bomb helped, 
once I finished it with a piece of hardware I’d found under a floor panel 
near the security room.) Then we split up, Milo heading to Jungen and I 
to the magical world of Cabal. 

THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC 

There were four planets in the Cabal system: Glitter, Glass, Gem, and 
Forge. Glitter looked pleasant enough, until a local witch challenged me 
to a deadly game of "Hangman.’’ The winning phrase told me some- 
thing about this universe's ruler, Avalon Greer; but that aside, I was glad 
to escape with my life. 

I also left with an “Animate" spell, which proved useful when I had to 
move the witch’s cat off her bookshelf so that I could learn more of her 
spells. There was plenty more to take, too: a knife, a clam, a watering 
can, plus a bucketful of tasty clam chowder. The chowder hit the spot 
when I traveled to Forge and had to convince a hungry dwarf to let me 
into his mines. 

In the mines, I had my second chance to set up my resonance tracer, 
and again I was rewarded with a puzzling line of prose in lieu of direc- 
tions to Cabal’s World Key. The same thing happened on Glass, when I 
set up my machinery in the Temple of the Phoenix (after teaching its 



GOTTA BE THE SHOES Arabou gives you sandals that let 
you negotiate the cavern webs. Why? He likes those cool 
purple threads you wear 



out ON the TILES Best keep your Universal Tool 
out of the Nomad’s swimming pool. 


cc 


HAY 1996 



mouse 


process© 

cfional 


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►TIPS & HINTS - CHRONOMASTER 



GIVE UP THE BOTTLE The World Key is in the harem-where else would 
the maker of a pocket universe keep his most private possession? 


guardians what they wanted to know and making the necessary obei- 
sances), and again on Gem once I’d used the frozen harp to move the uni- 
corn statue out of the way. Four puzzling lines, no directions. Or were they 
the directions? I recited them and found my machinery working normally 
once again. 

Two new locations were open to me. Before tangling with Avalon Greer, I 
decided to investigate Cabal's glorious volcano. A strange tableau greeted 
me: floating bubbles, sturdy and huge, one with a bedroom set inside. I 
returned to Forge to borrow the dwarf king’s bubble wand and then used it 
to transport myself to the largest bubble. A young woman lay in the bed; 
when she rose she turned out to be Greer’s daughter, and was eager to 
help me rescue her father from the evil spell he’d cast on himself. Her tips 
helped me capture Greer’s floating spy, the “crystal eye,” and then her kiss 
turned it into a tool I could use to defeat him. When I confronted him in his 
tower, he surrendered. 

All that was left, after I sent Milo some warnings that would help him on 
Jungen, was to solve Cabal's World Key puzzle. This time it was a potion 
rather than a spell I had to cook up. First, I planted the flower from the 
bubble in the witch’s garden, then I watered it and collected its seed and 
planted that. When it magically burgeoned, I entered it and used the caul- 
dron I found inside to mix water, fire, wind, and earth, plus some powder 
I’d made from one of the crystals I’d pried from the wall. 

I drank, and was done with Cabal. But neither the worst nor the 
strangest was behind me. 

WELL, HELLO DALI 

At least Cabal had been internally consistent, had made sense once you 
accepted the rules of its magic. Verdry was a mess. It looked ordinary 
enough at first, but soon you found that it was mad: no two locations fit 
together sensibly, no one behaved rationally. It was like a dream. 

I started out in a garden, where my Universal Tool enabled me to talk to 
the plants. I collected bits of each plant while I was at it, just in case. After 
a series of conversations pointing me towards a magnetic north I was oth- 
erwise unable to locate, I returned to my ship. (Easier said than done: I had 
to grow another plant just so that I could move a block of stone into posi- 
tion to facilitate my escape.) 

Following the plants' advice, I navigated to the asteroid located at the 


MAY 1996 CG 



Circle Reader Service #153 



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Circle Reader Service #73 


►TIPS & HINTS - CHRONOMASTER 


intersection of two celestial patterns. There I was able to take a reading that 
pointed me toward the location of the World Key. 

A strange monster blocked my path when I returned to Verdry’s gar- 
dens, but I was able to communicate with it by pounding away on a 
makeshift drum I fashioned out of a hollow stump and some plant bits. 
Through the gates the beast had guarded, I found a maze of rooms con- 
taining odd, incongruous objects: refrigerators and eyes on long stalks, a 
mailbox and upside-down metal mountains, funhouse mirrors and a boy in 
knee-pants. In each room I had to collect a wooden stair. In the mailbox 
room, I had a stair sent to me by rearranging the letters in a note I 
received. In the refrigerator room, I traded a table leaf I'd gotten in the 
waterfall room for the stair that was wedged in its place. And so on, until I 
had all but one of the stairs I needed. 



DARK & deadly Cabal is internally consistent, ethereally beautiful, and 
utterly dangerous. 


The last one required me to capture the ruler of Verdry, which I did 
using a corker of a trick I’d learned watching the jinn on Aurans, and then 
to catch a moving picture show, after a fashion. (That puzzle looked to be 
difficult, but I nailed it.) The stairs brought me to the World Key which took 
the shape of a collection of timepieces. Here at last I was in my element. I 
synchronized the clocks and then stopped time. 

ROLLING THE DYCE 

Milo rejoined me for our attack on our foes' sanctuary, a violent world 
hidden inside an enormous Dyson Sphere. I did a little mechanical tinker- 
ing with the sphere’s main entrance, and then used my powers of recall to 
foil the computerized security system. 

The ruler of Urbs greeted us with gunfire as soon as we were inside, but 
a bit of tampering with his mechanized biosuit (which I carried out while 
Milo kept him distracted) put him out of commission. 

We explored the city, turning up a seedy “chop shop" where people 
could buy bio-mechanical body modifications. I boned up on the surgical 
techniques until I knew enough to help the chief surgeon. In return for the 
help and our pointing him toward the biosuit we'd just liberated, he paid 
me $50,000. 

Next, we went to the city's largest estate, a high-security mansion outfit- 
ted with a room for the ruler of each of the worlds I'd been to. The Fortuna 
room featured giant dice, half a lottery ticket, and a coin lost between the 
sofa cushions; I also took a circuit board from the large-screen TV. The 


HAY 1996 


cc 




Circle Reader Service #153 





"YIPPIE-KI-YAY*'/.@#?£f 



Circle Reader Service U 268 




►TIPS & HINTS - CHRONOMASTER 



NATURE'S HANGOVER Bees that talk and eyes on stalks are but a few 
examples of Verdry’s esoteric world structure. Keep your head, talk calm- 
ly to the plants, and remember what the jinn taught you. 


Cabal room featured wooden torches an a banquet table, as well as a 
locked chest. The key was under the chest, and a door key was inside it. I 
took the door key, along with some food for the road. 

The key opened the Verdry room, which held more of the world's con- 
centrated lunacy than I could stand to look at. I smashed all the glass I 
could find (including the funny glasses on the jack-in-the-box), and used 
the coin to get an eyeball out of the gumball machine in the corner. A 
mushroom appeared, and I used a surgical clamp to pull it out of the 
ground. Another key was revealed, along with a flute that looked like 
Arabou’s. 

This key opened the Urbs room, where a spare biosuit waited to be acti- 
vated. Once I fixed it with the panel I’d pulled out of Fortuna's TV set, it 
helped me smash open the door to the Aurans room. Milo, who’d been 
captured when we reached the estate, was tied up inside and guarded by 
both a Ketter beast and the nomad chief from Aurans. The flute got me 
through this tense standoff, and the food I'd grabbed from Avalon Greer's 
banquet got me past the beast. I collected Milo and the other half of the 
Fortuna lottery ticket, and we flew off for our final showdown. 

Before we could buy passage to the center of Dyce, we needed to cash 
in the winning lottery ticket; fortunately, a one-eyed robot was at the head 
of the winners' line and ceded his place to us in return for the eye I’d got- 
ten in the Verdry room. We flew to the final hideout of the final villain, 
where I used my resonance tracer and Universal Tool to solve the World 
Key puzzle and throw Dyce into stasis. But the villain himself was harder to 
catch, since he carried bottled time. When I grappled with him, he had the 
upper hand-but he forgot about my foot. I kicked, and his time ran out. 

IF I HAD WORLD ENOUGH, AND TIME... 

So, you see, Jester, retirement isn’t all rest and relaxation. 

But it all worked out in the end, sweetie. Look at what they gave you as a 
reward. 

I suppose. 

Not every man has his own universe. 

True. But at what cost? So many lives lost, so many ruined... 

Don 7 think about it, Korda. Just rest and relax now, sweetie. You've 
earned it. 


cc 




Circle Reader Service #153 






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Circle Reader Service tt224 



LOYD CASE* TECUNOLC 




if Without 
the right set 
of drivers, you 
can have per- 
formance 
problems even 
on a 166-MHz 

Pentium. 99 


motherboard so that the 166 MHz 
Pentium chip would run at 100 MHz. 
When I powered up, Windows 95 detect- 
ed that I had a new graphics card and 
loaded a generic S3 968 driver. 

Normally, I run Windows 95 at a reso- 
lution of 1024x768 with 256 colors (1 pre- 
fer speed over color depth unless I’m 
doing serious graphics work.) When I 
reset the graphics driver to my preferred 
resolution, the first thing I noticed is that 
my eyes hurt. Hie \isible flicker on the 
screen was intense. As it turns out, the 
generic driver doesn’t support the stan- 
dard Windows 95 monitor tables, so even 
though I’d told the system I had a Sony 
I7SE, it acted as if 1 had a cheap 14’’ mon- 
itor. 

'I tying not to look at my screen, 1 insert- 
ed the Windows 95 upgrade CD and 
loaded the 32-bit driver. After a reboot, the 
refresh rate returned to its normal high 
rale and my eyes thanked me profusely. 

Next, I installed two Windows 95 
games that use DirectDraw: 

Mkgi IWARRIOR 2 for Windows 95 and 
WARI IAMMKR: SHADOW OF'n IK HORNED 
Rai: MliCHWARRiOR 2 runs at a maximum 
resolution of 640x480 (unlike the DOS 
version, which can run at 1024x768). In a 
busy battle, the frame rate went south dra- 
matically. 'I he DOS version of 


There are a few quirks in setting 
up Quake for a LAN-based, mul- 
tiplayer death match, but 
Fragville is only a few steps 
away: First, Quake, like most 
IPX-based games, tends to fuss 
about the Ethernet frame type 
you’re using. Without getting 
into too much netminutae, you 
can easily tweak your frame 
type in a file called NET. CFG 
which normally lives in the sub- 
directory with your other net- 
work driver files. 

In the NET.CFG file, look under 
the Link Driver section, and 
there should be a line that says 
“Frame” followed by something 


like Ethernet 802.2 or Ethernet 
802.3. You can actually load 
multiple frame types, but verify 
that all opponents are loading the 
same frame type first. Both the 
802.2 and 802.3 frame types 
work fine for gaming, just make 
sure the frame type load order is 
the same as your fellow fraggers. 
After everyone’s logged on to a 
common file server, the player 
with the fastest machine will act 
as a “listen server.” To launch 
that, type “quake -listen" in the 
Quake sub-directory, and once 
inside quake, start a level (i.e. 
“map test2”). You’ll see a mes- 
sage saying “server spawned.” At 
this point, up to seven 
other players can 
launch quake and type 
“connect” at their 
quake prompt, and 
each will enter the 
level and join in the 
carnage. 


f you read one of my lech 
lips from several months 
ago (you do read them, 
don’t you?), 1 mentioned 
that when you install 
Window's 95, it doesn’t 
always install an optimized 
32-bit driver for your graph- 
ics card. Depending on the 
chip used by your graphics 
adapter, a generic, 16-bit \ideo driver may 
be installed which won’t take adv antage 
of Win 95’s graphics enhancements. 


The latest 32-bit graphics accelerator 
drivers can make all the difference for 
overall Window's 95 pcrfonnance. Since | 
these drivers will probably also be 
DirectDraw'-aware, they can make a 
world of difference for Windows 95-nativc 
games. 

I popped the hood on my PC and 
replaced my existing graphics adapter 
with the Diamond Stealth 64 3200 board, 
based on S3 s 968 chip. To get a better 
idea how graphics performance will affect 
the average game system, I also reset my 




TECHNOLOGY 


LOYD CASE 


MliCl IWARRIOR 2 could handle almost 
any combat at 640x480. Wari IAMMER 
was even worse, particularly in a 3D battle 
scene with more than a couple of units. 
Clearly, Microsoft and the game compa- 
nies must be lying about Windows 95 
game performance. Well, not exactly. 

"I'M SORRY, DAVE..." 

Let’s digress for a moment, and talk 
about the inner workings of DirectDraw. 
One of the key internal features of 
DirectDraw is its Hardware Abstraction 
Layer . , or HAL for short (you know, like 
the demented computer from 2001.) 


which then reports hack to the program 
what features the graphics card has, like 
hardware acceleration, the kind of memo- 
ry' it has, the chipset features, whether it 
has a hardware cursor, and so on. 
DirectDraw ’s HAL, is a key technology to 
making hardware-independent game 
titles, since a Direct Draw-aware game 
calls DirectDraw rather than going 
straight “to the metal.” 

The problem here is that the HAL, must 
be supplied by the graphics card vendor. In 
other w ords, only the most recent graph- 
ics driver for a particular card may have 
DirectDraw support. Contact y our ven- 


Wlien a DirectDraw-aware game access- 
es the graphics card, it must go through 
the HAL The program calls the 
DirectDraw Application Programming 
Interface (API), which in turn queries the 


dor to be sure. If you’re running an older 
Windows 95 graphics driv er, it may know 
nothing about DirectDraw. 

Currently, DirectDraw drivers ship 
with titles that use DirectDraw, and are 


DirectDraw I IAI „ installed along with the title itself. If the 



These days, hard disks are get- 
ting bigger and bigger. However, 
even Windows 95 still uses the 
old DOS file system, based on 
the increasingly creaky File 
Allocation Table (FAT), which is 
basically a table which contains 
information about where the files 
and file fragments live on the 
hard disk. The maximum number 
of FAT entries is 65,535. The 
biggest cluster size (also called 
an allocation unit) is 32,768 
bytes (or 32 kilobytes.) If you do 
the math, you’ll see that the 
biggest single DOS partition you 
can have is 65,536 clusters of 
32,768 bytes each, or a little 
over 2.1 gigabytes. 

Consider this: if you get a 1.2 
gigabyte disk drive, and create 
one big partition, each cluster 
will be 32 kilobytes. This means 
that a one byte file will take up 
32 KB of disk space. However, if 
you partition the drive into two 
volumes, say a 1 GB volume and 
a 200 MB volume, then the clus- 


ter size shrinks to 16 KB. Since 
there are lots of small files in 
computer games, it’s much more 
space efficient to have smaller 
partitions. The tradeoff is having 
more drive letters. The choice is 
up to you. 

Some of you may realize that 
compression schemes, such as 
Stacker or Microsoft's 
DriveSpace, are very space effi- 
cient, since they look like one big 
file to the computer. However, 
because of the unique nature of 
computer game graphics, com- 
pressed volumes may actually be 
less efficient than uncompressed 
drives. Most game graphics are 
already compressed, and so the 
file will seemingly take up twice 
as much room on the com- 
pressed drive, which reports an 
amount of space based on a the- 
oretical compression ratio. 

For those of you who are curi- 
ous: since I have six gigabytes of 
disk space (one 2 GB drive and 
one 4 GB drive), I just bit the 
bullet and stopped worrying 
about cluster size. I have three 2 
gigabyte partitions. 


lilies DirectDraw' driver goes to 
query the DirectDraw HAL and 
doesn’t find one, you have a less 
than optimal situation. All is not 
lost though, since DirectDraw 
also has a HAL emulator. T he 
emulator “fools” the 
DirectDraw' driver into thinking 
that there’s a DirectDraw HAL,, 
and passes most of 
Direct Draw’s calls to your rig’s 
CPU. But there’s a pretty nasty 
performance hit in going this 
route. 

TO HAL AND BACK 

'I he adverse affect of Ihc 
I IAI , emulator cannot be over- 
stressed. The I IAI., emulator 
knows nothing of the underlying 
graphics hardware, so 
DirectDraw (and hence, Ihc 
game), can’t make use of all 
those nifty features, such as 
graphics acceleration, on the 
card. Instead it uses standard 
Windows graphics routines 
(known as the Graphics Device 
Interface, or GDI) to handle all 
the screen graphics. CDI can, 
and does, make use of some 
accelerator features, but the 
GDI is a very' high level abstrac- 


tion. Trying to use the GDI for game 
graphics is like trying to get a Chevy Nova 
to “emulate” a Dodge Viper. You can do it, 
sort of, but don’t expect to go 160 MPI I. 

Next, I loaded Ihc latest and greatest 
graphics drivers from Diamond, w hich 
arc DirectDraw-aware. Out of curiosity, I 
ran Ziff-Davis’s Winbench 96 Graphics 
Winmark before and after installing the 
drivers. I saw almost no performance gain 
for standard Windows graphics. 

However, WARI IAMMER ran much bet- 
ter than before. Next, I started up 
MliCl IWARRIOR 2. . . and got a black 
screen. A quick perusal of the readme file 
for Diamond’s new drivers uncovered the 
fact that they do not w ork with 
MliCl (WARRIOR 2 for Windows 95. T his is 
a bug, not a feature. Diamond is trying to 
fix the problem, and may have it fixed by 
the time you read this. Check their BBS 
or web site for an updated driver. 

STAYING UP TO SPEED 

Next, I popped in a Matrox Millenium 
card, another fairly common graphics 
card (it ships with certain systems from 
Gateway, Micron, HP, IBM and NEC.) 
The version 1.0 Window's 95 drivers also 
exhibited relatively poor performance 
with the two test games. Loading up the 
rev 2.2 drivers made a w orld of difference 
in both Wari IAMMER and Meci IWARRIOR 
2 for Windows 95. In fact, Meci WARRIOR 
2 ran better than the DOS version, which 
was gratifying. 

The moral of the story' is simple. If 
you’re planning on running Windows 95 
games, particularly games that use 
DirectDraw, then make sure you have the 
most current drivers for your graphics 
hardware, and be sure they are 
DirectDraw enabled. Without the right 
set of drivers, it almost won’t matter if you 
have a 166-MI Iz Pentium, you’ll still have 
performance problems. However, once 
you install DirectDraw-aware drivers, you 
will be amazed at the difference in perfor- 
mance. If you have access to the World 
Wide Web (and you should!), y ou’ll usual- 
ly find that the manufacturer of your 
graphics card has the latest versions of the 
driver for your card on its web site.% 




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Rise of Triad Ext CD S27 
Road Warrior CD $32 
Ruins CD $44 

Shadow Warrior CD S49 
Skull Cracker CD $41 
Space Hulk 2 CD $40 
StarT rek Generat'ns CD S41 
Strife CD S42 

Sublerrane W95 CD S29 
System Shock CD SI 5 
Tek War CD S25 

Terminator CD S44 

Terra Nova CD S42 

The Mortificator W95 CD $42 
Twisted Metal CD S38 
Ultimate Doom CD $31 
Ultimate Doom W95 CD $37 
Warhammer 40K CD $39 
Witchaven CD $25 

Witchaven 2 CD $42 
XS CD S37 


10th Planet CD $44 
7th Guest 2 CD S52 
Abuse CD S37 

Alien Trilogy CD S46 
Aliens CD $43 

Angel Devoid CD $40 
Azrael's Tear CD $39 
Babylon 5 W95 CD $28 
Bad Day on the Midway $40 
Bad Mojo W95 CD $48 
Beavis & Butthead CDS33 
BrainDead 13CDW95 $38 
Buccaneers CD S48 
Burn Cycle CD S34 

Cadillacs & Dinosaurs S28 
Calia 2095 CD S47 

Chewy Esc from F5 CD S44 
Chronicles of the Sword S38 
Chronomaster CD SI 9 
Cirle of Blood CD S44 
Creation CD S52 

Curse of Dragor CD $41 
Cyberia 2 CD $48 

Dark Eye CD $39 

Darkseed 2 CD $45 
Death Trap Dungeon S42 
Dinonauls CD $29 

Dinotopia CD $46 

Discworld or CD $35 

Double Trouble CD $40 

Down in the Dumps CD S39 
Druid CD S39 

Dust CD S40 

Ecstatica or CD $35 
Elk Moon Murder W95 $27 
Entombed CD $29 

Entomorph CD $35 

Fade to Black CD $29 
Fighting Fantasy CD $40 
Flashback CD $35 

Fortress of Dr. Radiaki SI 5 


Frankenstein CD $32 
Freelancer 2120 CD $41 
Full Throttle CD S45 
G-Nome CD S43 

Gabriel Knight 2 CD S55 
Gender Wars CD S38 

HardJack CD S48 

Harvester CD S46 

Heart of Darkness CD S55 
Hellraiser CD $52 

I Have No Mouth CD S45 
In the First Degree CD $46 
Indestructibles CD $44 
Into the Shadows CD $48 
Jack the Ripper CD Si 9 


Jewel of the Oracle CD $39 
Johnny Bazookatone CD $34 
Journeyman Project 2 CDS46 
Jumanji CD S42 

King's Quest 7 CD W95S25 
King's Ransom CD $32 
Kingdom O' Magic CD $38 
Knights Chase CD $42 
Lawnmower Man 2 CD $44 
Leg'nd of Kyrandia 3 CD $25 
Leisure Larry Anthology S47 
Lion CD S42 

Loadstar CD S44 

Lost Eden CD S39 

Lost Files of Sherlock 2 S44 
Lost Mind of Dr Brain $36 
Max the Naughty Dog $49 
Maabus CD $25 

Martian Chronicles CD $40 
Mission Critical CD S39 
Monstrous City CD $44 
Myst CD S48 

Night Trap CD $28 

Nomad CD $28 

Normality CD $48 

Odyssey CD $44 


Offensive CD S39 

Pandora Directive CD S54 
Panic In the Park CD S35 
Phantasmagoria CD S53 
Pitfall W95 CD S43 

Police Quest 5 CD S50 
Power Dolls CD S30 
Prisoner of Ice CD $42 
Promised Land CD $41 
Psychic Detective CD $44 
QAD CD $39 

Redjack’s Revenge CD $46 
Riddle of Master Lu CDS48 
Ripper CD S50 

Rivers of Dawn CD $41 
Sato City CD $40 

Scroll CD S38 

Sea Legends CD S39 
Sentient CD S38 

Separation Anxiety CD S45 
Sham Shpade CD S35 
Shannara CD S41 

Shivers CD S37 

Silverload CD S38 

Simon the Sorcerer 2 CD $35 
Skyborg: Into Vortex CD $44 
Space Quest 6 CD $45 
Space Ship Brainlock CD $49 
Spaceship Warlock CD S29 
Spycraft W95 CD S47 
Star Trek: Academy CDS46 
Star Trek: Voyager CD S48 
Starship Troopers CD $39 
Synnergist CD $40 

Terror of the Deep CD $36 
The Dig CD S47 

The Orion Conspiracy $40 
The Trial CD $44 

Time Gate CD S42 

Time Lapse CD $44 
Titanic CD S44 













CHIPS&BITS 


INC. 


POB 234 DEPT 10672 ROCHESTER, VT 05767 
INT’L 802-767-3033 FAX 802-767-3382 
Orders/Questions: cbisales@sover.net 
Customer Service: cbiserv@sover.net 


‘OVERNIGHT SHIPPING in US $4 pet order. Mall to Canada, PR, HI, AK, APO, FPO $4 per order. Worldwide airmail $6 per item. Handling $2 per shipment. Hardware orders may require additional shipping charges. Visa, MC and Discover accepted. 



‘DESTINY’ puts 
players in charge, 
controlling the 
development of 
mankind, from the 
Stone Age to the 
Space Age. 
Players determine 
the fate of the uni- 
verse, but unlike 
any god game ever 
developed, Destiny 
allows players to 
walk among sub- 
jects in a 3-D 
world. CD S45 



‘WARCRAFT 2’ 
Return to the world 
of Warcraft, where 
the battle between 
the evil ores and 
the noble humans 
rages on. With 
powerful new 
allies, terrifying new 
creatures and inge- 
nious new weap- 
onry, the struggle 
for the domination 
of Azeroth contin- 
ues over land, sea 
and air. CD $46 



'PGA TOUR THE 
LINKS AT SPAN- 
ISH BAY’ Com- 
missioned by the 
Pebble Beach 
Company in 
1995, the Links at 
Spanish Bay 
recalls the original 
Scottish concept 
of the game of 
golf, established 
over five hundred 
years ago. For 
use with PGA 
Tour 96. CD SI 9 



'AD&D DEATH- 
KEEP’ An evil 
necromancer has 
escaped from Ns ice 
prison and is wreak- 
ing havoc on the 
surrounding lands. 
You must journey to 
this bleak, frozen 
wasteland and put 
an end to his reign of 
terror. 25 ominous 
dungeons, 27 mon- 
sters and dozens of 
mind boggling puz- 
zles. WIN95 CD S39 



’PGA TOUR 
96' Compete 
against 14 differ- 
ent featured 
PGA Tour pros 
or step into the 
shoes of your 
favorite player. 
Each featured 
pro is digitized 
using actual 
video footage. 56 
pros in all, 2 cha- 
pionship coursed 
and instant 
replay. CD $38 



‘DUKE NUKEM 

3D'Ass stompin’ 
aliens have 
landed, and the 
humans sud- 
denly find them- 
selves atop the 
endangered 
species list. The 
odds are a mil- 
lion to one, but 
Duke Nukem 
knows what's 
got to be 
done. Kick 
alien butt! CD $48 


IBM ADVENTURE H IBM ARCADE H IBM ARCADE H IBM ROLEPLAYING H IBM SIMULATION H IBM SIMULATION 


Tommy CD $48 

Torin's Passage CD $50 
Touche CD $34 

Treasure Quest CD S46 
Trouble is my Biz CD $46 
Under Pressure W95 CD $28 
Under a Killing Moon $19 
Urban Decay CD $39 
Void Pirates CD $43 
Voyeur 2 CD $42 

Wetlands CD $19 

Zeddas CD $34 

Zork: Nemesis CD $53 



INTERACTIVE 


ENTERTAINMENT 

Receive an episode of 
Interactive Entertain- 
ment CD ROM magazine 
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software order. Offer sub- 
ject to change or cancel- 
lation without notice. 
Valid from 5/1/96 to 
6/31/96 or while supplies 
last. Quantities limited. 


SHIPPING 

Place an order for an 
out of stock software 
item and receive FREE 
overnight shipping when 
the product becomes 
available. Handling $2 
per shipment. 


3D Ultra Pinball CD S40 
Arcade America CD $25 
BC Racer CD S25 

Batman Forever CD $36 
Baltle Beast: Dead On $44 
Blades of Rage CD $34 
Clayfighter 2 CD $35 
Corpse Killer CD $28 
Crystal Caliburn $27 
Crystal Skulls CD $40 
D CD $44 

Daggers Rage W95 CD $29 
DefCon 5 CD $38 

Dragons Lair 2 CD S39 
Earthworm Jim 1& 2 CDS34 
Earthworm Jim W95 CD$44 
EndorFun W95 CD $25 
Eurit CD $35 

Exo Squad CD W95 $28 

Extreme Pinball CD S29 
FX Fighter CD S44 

Fast Draw Showd’wn CD $37 
Full Tilt Pinball W95 $24 
Gear Heads CD $37 
Go-Man 47 CD S44 

Hammer Slammers CD $46 
Hive CD W95 $35 

Hodj & Podj CD $25 
Hyper 3D Pinball CD S34 
Judge Dredd CD $36 
Last Bounty Hunter CD $37 
Lobo CD $34 

Lode Runner Netwrk CD $40 
Looney Labyrinth Pinball $29 
Maximum Surge CD $35 
Mega Man X CD S44 
Monster Island CD $44 
Monty Python Waste CD S36 
Mortal Kombat 2 CD S28 
Mortal Kombat 3 W95 S46 
MotoX CD $35 


Pinball Classics CD $31 
Pinball Fantasies Dx CD S29 
Pinball Illusions CD $29 
Pinball Mania CD S29 
Pinball World CD S35 
Primal Rage CD $47 

Prize Fighter CD $47 

Pro Pinball: The Web CD $28 
Psycho Pinball CD $25 
RayMan CD $35 

Rebel Assault II CD S47 
Revolution X CD $44 
Royal Flush Pinball CD $22 
Shell Shock CD $34 
Space Ace MPEG CD $42 
Space Runner CD $42 
Striker CD $46 

Super St Fighter 2 Turbo $31 
S St Fighter 2 w/Ctrl CDS36 
Supreme Warrior CD $44 
Tetris Classic CD $19 
Thunderstrike CD $44 
Time Pockets CD $46 

Toh Shin Den CD S42 

Total Domination CD $39 
Tri-Tryst W95 CD S24 

WWF Arcade CD $45 

WWF Raw CD $41 

Worms CD S34 

Zoop $26 


IBM ROLEPLAYING 


ADD Three Worlds CD $26 
Alien Legacy $36 

Anvil of Dawn W95 CD $34 
Arena: Elder Scrolls Dlx$47 
Betrayal at Antara CD $48 
CyClones CD $24 

Cyber Space CD $38 
CyberJudas CD $32 


Death Keep W95 CD S39 
Diablo CD S46 

Disciples of Steel CD $22 
Dragon Lore CD S19 
Dungeon Master 2 CD $38 
Elder Scrolls 2 CD S49 
Eye ol Beholder 2-3 ea SI 5 
Forgotten Realms CD $44 
Halls of the Dead CD $40 


Hunters of Ralk CD $48 

Kingdoms CD $19 

Knights of Xentar $31 

Lands of Lore 2 CD $49 


Lord of the Rings 1 & 2 $19 
Lords of Midnight CD S43 
Menzoberranzan CD $19 
Might & Magic 3-5 ea $19 
Might & Magic Trilogy SI 9 
Quest for the Grail CD S39 
Ravenloft 2 CD $46 

Realms of Arkania 3 CD$46 
Riftwar Legacy CD $23 
Robinson's Requiem CD $29 
Star Trail CD $36 

Star Trek Deep Space 9 $41 
Star Trek NG Final Unity S46 
Stonekeep CD $50 

Spr League of Hoboken $34 
Terracide CD $42 

Thunderscape CD $44 
Ultima 7 Series CD $15 
Ultima 8: w/Speech CD $32 
Ultima 9: Ascension CD$52 
Ultima Trilogy 2 $19 

Ultima U-worfd 1 & 2 CD $15 
Ultima Underworld 2 $19 
Ultimate Fantasy CD $19 
Unlimited Adventures $19 
Vampire the Masquerade S48 
Wizardry Gold W95 CD S35 
World of Xeen CD $24 


1943: European Air War $49 


1st Encounters CD S32 
A-10 Attack CD S48 
A-10 Tank Killer II CD S48 
A.T.F. (Adv Tact Fight) S48 
AH 64D L'gbow W95 CD S48 
Absolute Zero CD $42 
Aces of the Deep 2 CD $48 
Across the Desert '41 CD $48 
Across the Rhine CD $45 
Afterlife CD $47 

Air Combat Pac. '42 Gold $42 
ACS Navy Fighters Gold $48 
ACS Navy Fighters Exp S25 
Air Warrior 2 CD S40 
Airpower CD S35 

Alien Alliance CD S48 
Apache CD $44 

Army Air Corps: '42 CD $48 
Assault Rigs CD S38 
Battlecruiser 3000 CD S45 
Black Knight CD S46 
Combat Air Patrol CD $25 
Command W95 CD S47 
Confirmed Kill CD $42 
Cyberspeed W95 $39 

Dark Ride CD $49 

Dawn Patrol $16 

Dawn Patrol 2 CD $42 

Dead End CD $44 

Death Race CD $34 
Demon Driver CD $39 
Descent 2.0 W95 CD S48 
Descent CD $37 


Descent: Levels of WrldS20 
Destruction Derby CD S40 
EarthSiege 2 W95 CD S48 
F-16 Fight’g Falcon CD S44 
FA 18 Hornet CD $54 
Falcon 3.0 $16 

Falcon 4.0 CD $52 


Falcon Gold CD $52 
Fast Attack CD $44 

Fighter Duel Pro CD S34 
Fighter Duel 2 W95 CD S39 
Fighter Wing CD $32 
Fighting Falcon CD $59 
Flight CD $25 

Flight Sim ToolKit $16 
Flight Unlimited CD $40 
Flight Unlimited W95CDS48 
Flying Aces CD $49 
Flying Corps CD $44 
Flying Nightmares 2 CDS42 
Flying Tigers CD $42 
Frontier Elite 2 $19 

Great Naval Battles 3 CD $41 
Great Naval Battles 4 CD $43 
Great Naval Battles 5 CD $44 
Grey Wolf CD $19 

H.A.W.C. CD S35 

Hi-Octane CD $29 

Hind Helicopter CD S46 
Indy Car Racing 2.0 CD $48 
Indy Car Racing 2 W95 $48 
Indy Car Rac'g Cmpilat'n $25 
Interactive Sailing CD $45 
Iron Angel CD $44 

Iron Assault CD $39 
Jet Fighter 3 CD $47 

Jet Ski Rage CD $39 

Last Dynasty CD $48 

Ml Tank Platoon 2 CD $48 
Mag Zone CD $30 

Max'm Overkill Multi-Plyr$48 
Mech Commander CD $40 
MechWarrior 2 CD S46 
MechWarrior 2 W95 CD S45 
MechWarrior 2 Exp CD $26 
MechWarrior 2 NetMech $15 
MegaRace 2 CD $44 
MetalTech: EthSiege CD $47 


CGW596P2 
















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‘CIVILIZATION 

2’ is based on 
the best selling 
and critically 
acclaimed Sid 
Meier's 
Civilization. More 
miltary units to 
command, 
more technolo- 
gies and city 
improvements 
as well as an 
expanded 
diplomatic sys- 
tem. CD $42 



‘HERETIC: 
SHADOW OF 
THE SERPENT 
RIDERS’ The 

Heretic chapter 
comes to its evil 
conclusion in this 
twisted medieval 
dimension. 
Undead creatures 
and bestial horrors 
have done the 
unthinkable, cal- 
lously slaugh- 
tered your entire 
race. CD $37 




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Computer Barnes Online. Brought to you by the knowledge- 
able folks at Computer Barnes Strategy Plus and Interactive 
Entertainment, each day features a NEW article covering all 
categories from Sims to Sports. Link up to Computer Barnes 
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‘CHRONOMAS- 
TER’ The game is 
set against the 
back drop of 6 man 
made universes, 
each obeying their 
own laws of 
physics, where 
magic and science 
co-exist. Embark 
on an odyssey 
through worlds run 
by cyborgs, pirates 
and witches who 
provide deadly 
puzzles. CD SI 9 


'EARTHSIEGE 
2’ Cybrid 
HERC's created 
by man turned 
on their creators 
and initiated a 20 
year guerrilla 
battle for control 
of the earth & its 
distant colonies. 
Now they have 
assembled in mas- 
sive numbers 
preparing for a final 
assault on earth. 
WIN 95 CD $48 


‘THE COMPLETE 
CARRIERS AT 
WAR' provides a 
total picture of car- 
rier combat no 
other simulation 
has matched for 
both excitement 
and historical 
accuracy. It con- 
tains C.A.W. 1, 
C.A.W. 2, the 
Construction Kit, 
the war scenarios 
as well as new 
scenarios. CD $42 


IBM SIMULATION 


Microsoft Flight Sim 5.1 S48 
MS Flight Sim 5.1 CD $53 
MS Fi t Sim Flight Shop $38 


Mig 29 Gold CD $49 

Mig Alley CD $46 

Nascar Racing CD $47 

Nascar Racing T racks $24 

Net Racer CD S44 

Phoenix Fighter CD $49 

Privateer SI 5 

Privateer CD SI 5 

Rapid Assault CD S28 

Raven Project CD S39 

Red Baron 2 CD $49 

Red Ghost CD S39 

Renegade CD S21 

Renegade 2 CD S26 

Roll Cage CD S34 

SU-27 Flanker W95 CDS46 
Sail '95 $39 

Sail ‘95 CD $43 

Sail Simulator $40 

Sailing Simulator 3 $52 

Savage CD $40 

Screamer CD $41 

SeaWollCD SI 5 

Seal Team CD $15 

Sensory Overload CD $42 

Shock Wave Assault S44 

Silent Hunter CD S46 

Silent Service 2 $16 

Silent Steel CD $45 

Sky Warriors CD $35 

Slipstream 5000 CD $35 

Space Academy CD $47 

Star Rangers CD $22 

Starfighter 3000 CD S42 

Strike Commander CD SI 5 

Stunt Driver CD $1 4 


Sub Btle Simulator 2 CD S39 
Sub War 2050 Plus CD $19 

01990 CHIPS* BITS, INC. 


IBM SIMULATION 


Super Tank Commander S40 


SuperKarts CD S24 

T-MEK CD $38 

TFX EF2000 CD $45 
Tank CD $14 

Tank Commander Net $46 
Terminal Velocity CD $34 
The Darkening CD $54 
The Need for Speed CD S47 
Tie Fighter $29 

Tie Fighter Collectors CD $47 
Tie Fighter Mission Disk $19 
Top Gun: Fire At Will! CD $45 
Tower S42 

Tower CD $44 

Trophy Bass CD $48 
U-Boat 2 $36 

Urban Runner W95 CD S33 
VetteCD $14 

Virtual Karts CD $41 
Warhawk CD S38 

Werewolf Vs. Comanche $48 
Whiplash CD $46 


Wing Commander 3 CD$33 
Wing Command 4 W95 $54 
Wg Command Academy $1 5 
W'g Command Armada $15 


Wing Nuts CD $34 

Wings of Glory CD S25 

Wipe Out CD $40 

World Circuit $16 

World Circuit CD $25 


World Circuit GPrix 2 $41 
Wrld Circuit GP2 Net CD S42 
World Circuit GP2 Mngr$41 
X-Car Exp. Racing CD S44 
X-Wing S23 

X-Wing Collector's CD S24 
X-Wing Mission Disk 2 $19 
Yeageris Air Combat CD $1 5 
Zone Raiders CD $41 


IBM SPORTS 


3-Decathlon CD $42 
APBA Baseball 3 CD S37 
Blood Bowl CD $29 

College Slam Basketball $44 
Decathlon CD $48 

ESPN 2 Extreme Games $28 
ESPN Hockey CD $40 
FIFA Int’l Soccer '96 CDS40 
Frank Thomas Baseball S44 
Front Page Baseball '96S48 
Front Page Football ‘96 $48 
Gone Fishin' CD $25 
Hardball 5 CD $40 

Hooves of Thunder CD $35 
Internat'l Tennis Open $44 
Jack Nicklaus at Muirfield$40 
Links Pentium CD S49 
Links Pro 386 Golf $16 
Madden Football 97 CDS40 
Microsoft Baseball CD $51 
NBA Airborne '95 CD $39 
NBA Jam T. E. W95CD$44 
NBA Live 96 CD $40 
NCAA Champ Basketball $44 
NCAA Football CD $44 
NFL Quarterbck Club '96S45 
NHL Hockey 96 CD S44 
NHL Power Play CD S44 
Old Time Baseball W95S48 
PBA Bowling CD $32 
PGA Tour Golf 96 CD $38 
RBI Baseball '96 CD $40 
Rugby World Cup '95 CD $40 
TNN Outdoor Bass '96 $48 
Tony LaRussa Baseball 3 $33 
Troy Aikman Ftball CD $42 
Ultimate Football '95 CD $25 
Unneccessaty Rghns '96 $42 
VR Sports Soccer CD S42 
Wayne Gretsky Allstar S40 
World Hockey 95 CD SI 9 
Circle Reader 


IBM STRATEGY 


1830: RR's& Robbers $34 
“ 9 " W95CD $46 

Advanced Civilization CD $39 
Alexander W95 CD $39 
Allegiance CD $34 

Ancient Empires W95 $44 
Ascendancy CD $44 

Battles in Time CD S35 
Black Beard CD S34 
Breach 3 CD S40 

C.E.O. CD S43 

Caesar 2 CD S47 

Capitalism CD $42 

Celtic Tales CD $34 
Citizens CD $42 


Civilization Network CD S47 
Civilization 2 W95 CD S42 
Colonization or CD ea SI 9 
Command & Conquer $47 
Comd & Conquer Ms'n S22 
Corn'd 8< Conquer W95S48 
Command & Conquer 2 $52 
Complete Carriers at War $42 
Conquered Kingdoms 2 $38 
Conqueror A.D. 1086 CD $44 
Conquest of the N'w Wrld $46 


Corporate Colonies CD $35 
Deadline CD S38 

Destiny CD S48 

Dungeon Keeper W95 S48 
Empire 2 CD $29 

Empire Builder CD $39 
Empire Deluxe Mstr Ed $22 
Escalation CD $29 

Exploration CD $40 

Fantasy Fieldom CD $48 
Fantasy General W95 $43 
Grandest Fleet S16 

HercForce CD S48 


Hero of Might & Magic S34 
H. Might & Magic W95 S34 

Service H68 


IBM STRATEGY 


History of the World CD S40 
Into the Void CD S42 
Jagged Alliance CD S25 
J. A. Deadly Games CDS34 
Jutland CD $19 

Kingmaker $34 

Konquest CD $35 

Lemmings 3D CD $40 

Lemmings CD S25 

Lost Admiral 2 CD S39 

Machiavelli the Prince CD$1 9 
Marco Polo CD $37 

Master of Magic S25 
Master of Orion or CD ea$25 
Master of Orion 2 CD S42 
Metal Lords: Inner CircleS34 
Metal Marines Master EdS48 
Metal Storm CD S48 
Millenia: Altered Destinies S31 
Mission Force W95 CD $48 
Navy Strike CD S41 
New Horizons CD S34 
Northlands CD S39 

Ocean Trader CD S44 
OrionBurger CD S39 
Outpost 2 CD S49 

Pax Imperia 2 CD W95S46 
Pirates Gold CD SI 9 
Power House CD S26 
Qin: Tomb of Mid K'dom S33 
Railroad T ycoon CD SI 4 
Red Alert CD S48 

Romance 3 Kingdom 3 $39 
Romance 3 Kingdom 4 $34 
Sabre Team $19 

Second Conflict $34 
Settlers 2 CD S44 

Shadow of the Emperor S44 
Shattered Nations CD S46 
Sim Ant CD S40 

Sim City 2000 Collect CD S58 



CGW596P3 













CHIPS&BITS 


INC. 


POB 234 DEPT 10672 ROCHESTER, VT 05767 
INT’L 802-767-3033 FAX 802-767-3382 
Orders/fluestions: cbisales@sover.net 
Customer Service: cbiserv@sover.net 


in US $4 per order. Mall to Canada, PR, HI, AK, APO, FPO $4 per order. Worldwide airmail $6 per item. Handling $2 per shipment. Hardware orders may require additional shipping charges. Visa, MC and Discover accepted. 



‘RENEGADE 2: 
RETURN TO 
JACOB’S STAR’ 

Sends you back to 
this troubled star 
system to face anal 
new and even more 
mysterious TOG 
threat! More than 
just spectacular 
graphics, cinematics 
and sound effects, 
youTlf)y60newmis- 
sions ard face an al 
new Legati class 
TOG ship. CD $26 



‘BATTLES IN 
TIME 1 Warfare is 
not won based on 
any one single 
element, it is a 
delicate balance 
of all relevant 
components. 
Maneuver armies 
as a whole, create 
diversions and 
control how and 
where armies 
will do battle in 
the strategic 
map. CD $35 


fTOMEC 

V 5 




‘ENTOMBED’ will 
pit you against an 
ancient civiliza- 
tion's technology, 
their insidious 
traps and a deep 
underlying mys- 
tery of monumen- 
tal consequence. 
Armed with only 
the diary of a pre- 
vious colleague, 
you must solve 
the mystery of 
your failed prede- 
cessors. CDS29 





IBM STRATEGY 


IBM TRADITIONAL 


IBM WAR GAMES 


HINT BOOKS 


‘A-10 2:SILENT 
THUNDER’ 

Swoop down like 
Silent Thunder in 
the most indestruc- 
tible close attack 
plane ever built, the 
A-10 Thunderbolt 
II. In this sequel to 
the highly success- 
ful A-10 Tank Killer, 
you’ll dive into 3 
fast paced cam- 
paigns with 24 
action packed mis- 
sions! CD $48 


‘HEROES OF 
MIGHT AND 
MAGIC’ You must 
conquer the world 
through the strate- 
gic use of resource 
management and 
battle savvy. 
Features up to 
three customizable 
computer con- 
trolled warlords, 
stunning super 
VGA graphics, and 
dynamic sound. 
WIN 95 CD $34 


‘THE LOST ADMI- 
RAL 2’ Dare to 
enter the waters 
once again, with 
The Admiral’s Re- 
venge. The pre- 
designed maps are 
monumental, the 
randomly generat- 
ed scenarios are 
tremendous 
and the cam- 
paigns round 
out a titanic 
gaming experi- 
ence. CDS39 


Sim City 2000 W95 CD $53 


Sim Earth CD $40 

Sim Town CD $33 

Simlsle CD $35 

SimTower CD $31 

Space Bucks CD $44 

Space Marines CD $44 

Space Miner CD $36 

Spaceward Ho! 4 W95 S24 

Star Base CD S42 

Star Control 3 CD $47 
Syndicate Wars CD $48 

This Means War CD $24 



INTERACTIVE 

ENTERTAINMENT 

Receive an episode of 
Interactive Entertain- 
ment CD ROM magazine 
FREE with any in stock 
software order. Offer sub- 
ject to change or cancel- 
lation without notice. 
Valid from 5/1/96 to 
6/31/96 or while supplies 
last. Quantities limited. 


SHIPPING 

Place an order for an 
out of stock software 
item and receive FREE 
overnight shipping when 
the product becomes 
available. Handling $2 
per shipment. 


Tiny Troops CD $44 
Total Mayhem CD $42 
Transport Tycoon CD $24 
Transport Tycoon Dlx CD $42 
Vikings CD $37 

Virtual Corporation CD $46 
Visions of Glory CD $39 
Warcrafl or CD ea S29 
Warcraft 2 CD $46 

Warhammer Homed Rat S43 
Warlords 2 Deluxe CD S41 
Warlords 2 Seen Editor $24 
Warlords 3 CD $42 

Wood’n Ships & Iron Men $39 
Worlds of War CD $48 
X-Com: Terror fr’m Deep $39 
X-Com: Apocolypse CDS42 
X-Com: UFO Defense $24 
Z CD S48 


IBM TRADITIONAL 


Any One For Cards CD $25 
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•THE LAST 
BLITZKRIEG' 
will put you in the 
heat of Hitler's 
last chance at 
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West. Detailed 
battles, new land 
combat system, 
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network and mo- 
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‘CONQUEST OF 
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years ago, Eu- 
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pursue the dream 
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Designed for play- 
ers of all skill levels 
with limitless 
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is truly a strategy 
game where you 
control the fate of a 
nation. CD $46 


HINT BOOKS 


Panzer General $16 

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Service #68 




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CDI SOFTWARE 1 

7th Guest 

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Axis & Allies 

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Merlin's Apprentice 

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TECHNOLOGY 


CAME DESIGN 


Online 
Design Diary 


IF {Compromise Design} Now 

THEN > Worn promise Programming} Later 

= Limits {Unnecessary} 


by Alan Lenton 



T yson’s Comer, VA. In a 

hold room near AOL head- 
quarters, I've just pried Nick, 
my chief programmer, off 
the laptop. He claims he 
was “testing” FREECELL, a 
bundled freebie on 
Windows 95. It’s been a hec- 
tic month. The first part was 
devoted to getting every- 
thing ready for a game milestone. When 
people give money for a product, they 
expect to see evi- 


tlie storyboards and designed the front 
end. It was quite chaotic, but everything 
got there on time. 

In the process a number of design 
issues were resolved-including that of 
game time. We decided to allocate a set 
amount of game time for each expedition. 
'Hie game will keep track of simultaneous 
sub-expeditions, and figure out how much 
they overlapped. Players will need to orga- 


each quest. 

At present, I’m not precisely sure how 
u'e are going to implement this time fea- 
ture. I know some designers start to take 
account of programming limitations at 
this stage, but I disagree with that 
approach. Anything can be programmed, 
the question is whether it will run fast 
enough and fit into the target machine’s 
memory limitation. When we actually 
program this bit of code, we will make 
any necessary compromises and I’ll tell 
you the outcome. I know the way pro- 
grammers’ minds wrork. If I make com- 
promises now, I will have to make more 
compromises at programming time! 

While I cleaned up the design, we 
continued work on the storyboards. I’m 
not going to tell you 
much about them, 
because that w ould 
give away the 
answers. However, I 
can tell you that 
everyone’s favorite 
is the search for the 
mummified 
remains of 


One thing that became obvious was 
that we needed a proper combat system. 
We had intended to have just an abstract 
combat system, but eventually settled for 
a turn based system with a maximum time 
forgiving orders. We would rather have a 
real-time combat system, but with net- 
work delays looming large we opted for a 
turn-based system. 

More next month!**; 


I A HIPPO GETS A ROOT CANAL Whether mapping an Egyptian pyramid, checking your jour- 
nal, creating a character or checking out other members of your party, this grayscale inter- 
face mock-up and incidental art gives an early indication of Explorer's expected look. 


such a way that a mini- 
mum of time is spent 
tracking things down. 
In this way, parties of 
players won’t be able 
to start out on a quest 
and then, simply van- 
ish. We also decided to 
put a real-time limit on 
the completion of 




CC 


MAY 1995 




Virtual PiLl Pr 


All products pictured here are compatible with MS-DOS and Windows 95. 
Specific Windows 95 drivers are under development for the F-16 Combatstick, 
Virtual Pilot Pro, CH Throttle, and Pro Throttle to make them fully compatible. 


CH PRODUCTS 




PAUL SCHUYTEMA • GAME DESIGN 



it The 
Build Engine 
lets you 
craft incredi- 
bly detailed 
levels in 
virtual 

space. 99 


D f (here’s ever been a holy 
grail in PC games, it was 
defined the moment 
DOOM burst onto the 
scene. Sure, we had first- 
person 3-D before, but 
DOOM defined the visceral 
experience. For the last few 
years, everybody, including 
id themselves, have tried to 
take a chunk out of that market, often 
falling far short of the mark. 

Apogees 3D Realms isn’t just another 
wannabe in the 3-D market. 

They started the folks at id on 
their way with a S3, 000 check 
and had to deal with the pain as 
id broke free and set Doom 
loose on the world, forcing 
Apogee into a two-year sprint to 
catch up. 

With Duke Nukem 3D, no 
one can argue that they haven’t 
made up the distance, and they 
arc, for the moment at least, in 
the lead. 


ronments, draws them on the screen and 
handles all of the little details like drawing 
and animating slavering monsters and 
streaking missiles. Strictly speaking, things 
like artificial intelligence aren’t part of the 
Build Engine. 

Apogees Build Engine, written by Ken 
Silverman, a young self-taught program- 
ming wunderkind (see sidebar), is unique 
for two primary reasons. First, it is a very 
fast, very flexible tool to draw complex 
3-D environments on the PC. It can cre- 
ate things that DOOM (and its progeny) 


START YOUR ENGINES 

A 3-D shooter like Doom or 
DUKE is comprised of equal 
parts design and technology. The design 
can be distilled into the nuances and 
challenges of the individual levels. The 
technolog)' is the 3-D engine w'hich 
makes the game go. In the most simple of 
explanations, an “engine” is a bunch of 
program code that handles the core oper- 
ations of a game. Dukk NUKEM uses the 
Build Engine, which consists of the code 
that turns raw data into visual 3-D envi- 


SECTOR SOUFLEE The Build Engine’s 2-D editor is used to lay out 
sectors and place sprites. This is the adult bookstore from the 
shareware levels of Duke Nukem 3D. The small circle and line 
objects are sprites. 


can’t even dream of, such as looking up 
and down, slopes, swimming, multiple 
lcvcl-platfonns, smoothly curved walls, 
jumping down holes into different 
regions, etc. 

Tire other advantage of the Build 
Engine lies in Silverman’s unique Build 
Editor software, w'hich allows designers at 
Apogee to craft incredibly detailed levels 
in virtual space. In a coup sure to keep 


BBSes stocked for months, Apogee is 
releasing that very same editor on the 
commercial CD-ROM of Duke NUKEM 
3D. 

TECHNOLOGICAL 
PROWESS 

The Build Engine is a 
speed demon. Apogee, 
while designing the Duke 
levels, would not accept any 
less than 20 frames per sec- 
ond on a 486-66, and even 
with that restriction, the 
visual content of the levels is 
far richer than that found in 
any of the other 3-D games 
out there. Not that Apogee 
is very happy about design- 
ing for 486s, however. 

“A 486-66 is an ancient 
piece of junk,” laments Alan 
Blum, one of the DUKE 3D level design- 
ers. “We wish they’d all get Pentiums." 

Games like Doom and Heretic rely 
on a binary search partition (BSP) system 
to precalculate the view's you can see 
from nearly every point and angle within 
the level. Iliis large data tree is then used 
by the drawing routines to quickly paint a 
frame on the screen. Precalculating leads 
to a significant restriction, however: the 





TECHNOLOGY 


PAUL SCHUYTEHA 




FROM SIMPLE SECTORS... I decided to try my 
hand at level design and began crafting the 
entrance to the student union of the college where 
I teach. The first step was to lay out the sectors 
for the steps. 

* * * ^ ^ 


luumm LiKt a lave initially, u isn i mucn 10 
look at, more like a mossy cave than anything 
remotely collegiate. 


FUN WITH TEXTURES The first step was to begin 
applying textures. The vertical banding occurs 
because each stair sector also creates its own wall 


EXTRUDE AND EXPAND Each step has to be 
“grown" individually, by placing the mouse cursor 
on the top of the stair and tapping the PgUp key. 


"lay of the land" cannot change as the 
game is being played. Buildings can’t top- 
ple, walls can’t blow open and doors can’t 
rotate or swing open. Essentially, the birds 
eye view of a level can’t change at all, 
since those boundaries arc all precalculat- 
ed. 

WOLKENSTEIN 3D, id’s earlier game, 
which was bankrolled by Apogee, doesn't 
have those restrictions, because it used a 
technique known as ray casting. This 
approach essentially traces imaginary rays 
of light to see what they bounce off of, 
such as wiills and doors. This worked well 
in the rather simple geometry of 
WOLFKNS’lKINs castles, but when the 
environment becomes complex, the time 
it takes to calculate the light rays increases 
logarithmically. 

'I he Build Engine uses a technique 
similar to that used in calculating sector 
intersections when a Doom BSP is built, 
but does it on the fly. By optimizing the 
code which calculates what can or can’t 
be seen, and coupling that with high- 
speed assembly language routines which 
actually draw that data into the video 
buffers, the Build Engine can successfully 
juggle complexity and speed, without the 
“sectors can’t change” Rile imposed by 
Doom’s BSP reliance. 



COLLEGIATE CORNER At last, after several hours of work, the entrance to the student union is 
finished. Notice the recessed lighting and the sloped face of the ATM machine, all done by man- 
ually manipulating the sectors. The carpet is created with two floor sectors with different textures 
applied to each. 


ANY SECTOR IN A STORM 

T 1 ic chief atom for the Build Engine is 
the sector. A sector is most easily defined 
as a closed polygon. A rectangle for a 
room is a quick and dirty example. Yet 
once you dive into the Build Editor, you 
quickly discover that the scctor-cquals- 
room metaphor breaks down almost 
immediately. A seclor is more like a 
“region of interest” than a room, such as a 
pool of light on the floor, an ATM 
machine or a desk. 

A level in Duke NUKEM is simply a 
large combination of sectors, each with 
unique properties, along with myriad 
placed items (such as guns, monsters and 
eyc-candy). 

Sectors may either define the walls of a 
room, or they may define something else, 
like a lighting effect or solid object. If you 
consider the adult bookstore in the share- 
ware version of the game, the magazine 


A 


CG 


MAY 1996 



Admittedly, without SimulEyes VR, 
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Take advantage of all the equipment you were bom with. There’s 
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Descent ond Interplay are trademarks of Interplay, Inc. SleteoGrophics is a registered trademark and SimulEyes is o trademark of the SlercoGrophics Corporation. All other trademarks oie the property of their respective owners. ©1996 StereoGraphics Corporation. 

Circle Reader Service HI 59 


TECHNOLOGY 


PAUL SCHUYTEMA 


shelves are sectors that look like objects, 
while the strange and severe shadow's near 
the bathroom, are lighting effect sectors. 
Both types of sectors arc exactly the same, 
they’ve just had different properties 
applied to them in the editor. 

In a way, a level map is like a database 
of individuals. The sectors have unique 
positions in the level, and each side of a 
sector, as well as its floor and ceiling, point 
to a record of unique infonnation, such as 
the shade of the wall, the texture map 
which is applied, the slope, the height, as 
well as any action tags, such as infonna- 
tion that tells the engine that this sector is 


a door which will open under certain con- 
ditions, and so on. 

When the Build Engine rev's up to 
begin a Duke NUKEM gaming session, it 
initially combs through the level data to 
remove any “invisible” sprites and then 
places the sector data in memory. As you 
play the game, the graphics routines use 
the sector infonnation, both the bound- 
aries of the sectors and the attached infor- 
mation, to determine which sectors you 
can see and how to draw them. 

INTO THE EDITOR 

Creating levels using Silvermans Build 



IT 


T he guy’s just brilliant— he’s a 
programmer from Venus,” 
exclaimed Apogee’s Scott 
Miller about their Rhode 
Island-based savant, Ken Silverman. Silverman cre- 
ated the Build Engine, the workhorse 3-D environ- 
ment which first debuted in Tek-War, but is being 
pushed to its limits by Apogee’s Duke Nukem 3D, 
as well as the upcoming Shadow Warrior and 
Blood. 

Silverman first 
approached Apogee with 
his game, Ken’s 
Labyrinth, several years 
ago. Apogee immediate- 
ly recognized 
Silverman's program- 
ming prowess, but the 
game was still too 
rough for them, so 
Silverman’s title was 
picked up by Epic 
Megagames. A few 
months later, when 
Silverman was 
only seventeen 
years old, he 
began work on the Build 



Engine. 

“I wanted to make a cool thing that impressed 
people," confessed Silverman. Doom wasn’t out 
yet, but it was on its way, and Silverman marveled 
at the pre-release screen shots. He wanted to 
make a 3-D engine that would look like the screen 
shots. 

In August of 1993, Silverman signed with 
Apogee to finish and polish the Build Engine. 

"Originally, I wanted to make the whole game 
myself,” said Silverman. Apogee convinced 
Silverman that his skills were in engine design. 

Silverman joined Apogee only a month before 
he started college at Brown University, deciding to 


work from home and commute to Texas only 
when necessary. It was written into his contract 
that school-work came first, but Silverman soon 
found himself programming away his hours and 
letting his classes slide. With some nudging from 
his father; who is also his business manager; 
Silverman took a leave of absence to concentrate 
full time on finishing the Build Engine. 

Silverman, a self-taught programmer, found little 
use for any of the other information out there. “If I 
read a book about [3-D programming] I found that 
I either knew it all or it was totally useless to me... 
They really don’t teach 3-D programming in 
school, and if they do, they teach you a really 
slow way to do it." 

Silverman crafted the Build Engine in C with 
quite a few assembly language routines. The 
assembly routines are used for the time-intensive 
tasks such as vertical and horizontal line texturing, 
handling slopes and working with translucent tex- 
tures. 

Since Build Engine doesn’t use binary search 
partitions or ray casting, most of its blazing speed 
comes from the unique drawing routines devel- 
oped by Silverman. 

“My vertical drawing routines are 32-bit, aligned 
right. I discovered that it takes about the same 
time to write four bytes (32 bits) of drawing data 
as it does to write a single byte," said Silverman. 
That discovery allows his assembly routines to do 
more in a single pass than the other 3-D engines. 

When asked about working with the Apogee 
team, Silverman admitted: “It’s hard when you’re 
working with other programmers, because they 
always screw things up." Yet Silverman is very 
happy with Duke Nukem 3D. 

After Silverman finishes work on Duke and its 
progeny, he's not quite sure what his next move 
will be. "Maybe I'll work on sequels to the games, 
go back to college or start my own business. But I 
don’t know about that, since I’m not much of a 
businessman." 


Editor is at once a simple and a highly 
involved art. To simply create a “generic" 
room, yon can just place the points for a 
rectangle in the 2-D, CAD-like portion of 
the program. 

A simple key tap brings you into the 
3-D portion of the editor, which is just 
like the game itself, except that you may 
now effect changes on the environment 
you see. Initially, the room is low- 
ccilinged and all surfaces are covered with 
the generic “dirt)' bricks” texture. A few 
keystrokes is all it lakes to raise the ceiling, 
change the wall texture, add a parquet 
floor and dim the lighting to a more sub- 
dued tone. 

If you jump back into the 2-D editor 
and draw' another rectangular sector with- 
in your room, it will turn red, showing that 
it isn’t a “walled" sector, but an interior 
sector. Back into the 3-D mode, you won't 
sec any changes, but you can modify that 
sector on its own. 

A few' keystrokes, and you can recess 
the rectangle into the ceiling, apply a fluo- 
rescent light texture to it, and turn the 
brightness up to maximum. Aiothcr few' 
keystrokes and you can illuminate the 
floor rectangle to create the illusion that 
light from above is shining on the floor. 
You can even raise the sector out of the 
floor and apply a desk texture to the top of 
it. 

When designing a level, you need to 
think ahead, since sectors arc not the 
equivalent of rooms. Generally, a level 
starts out a one or just a few' huge sectors, 
with everything else added on after that. 
To create stairs, for example, you must 
create a sector for each step and then 
“extrude” them out of the floor. 

When you apply a texture to a surface, 
a 64x64 bitmap texture tile is applied to 
the entire face of the surface. Often, your 
wall or floor won’t mesh perfectly with the 
tiles, so the editor allows you to slide the 
tiles around on the surface, as well as to 
stretch or expand the image, to get just 
the right fit. 

Once you have your room the way you 
want it, you can add details, like a potted 
plant or a pig cop, simply by returning to 
the 2-D view and placing a sprite. Back in 
the 3-D editor, you can then change your 


A 


CG 


HAY 1996 




Register On-line at 
http://e3party.actlab.com 


E t t.C T.l> O.M H». . |W TE B T * I H M t H T 


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TECHNOLOGY 


PAUL SCHUYTEMA 



EXPLODING MATCHES All of the thin orange sticks are com- 
pressed C-9 canisters, just waiting for the trigger to ignite into 
an impressive fireball. 


sprite to be anything you want. If you 
choose the pig cop, then the editor knows 
enough to create the code that tells the 
creature how to behave within the game. 
With a plant or trash can, the object just 
sits there, looking pretty. 

Creating a level that looks right takes a 
great deal of time, and it forces you to 


think like the Build Engine, not like a 
commonsensical human being. 

Beyond the visual, though, the Build 
Editor is the tool used to create all of the 
event linkages in your level. Sprites and 
walls all have an attribute called a "low- 
tag” which is a numerical value that 
allows an object, such as a sprite for a 
switch, to be associated with an action, 
such as opening a door or raising a plat- 
form. 

In addition, several "special purpose” 
sprites, which are culled out in the pre- 
game read of the level, can he placed any- 
where on the level. These sprites can 
allow the designer to create realistic 
actions such as triggering a horde of ene- 
mies to charge the player who steps 
through one of these invisible objects. 

MANY MONTHS OF DUKE 

Even with the Build Engine and the 
powerful editor in hand, Apogee has 
spent close to 20 months creating the lev- 


els for Duke Nukhm 3D. A level's design 
often evolved from one of the Apogee 
crew discovering some cool sector effect, 
such as the ability to create subway trains, 
for example. 

While it may take weeks to craft a par- 
ticular level map, it takes even more time 
to w ork through that level and tweak it for 
gameplay (both single and multiplayer) 
and frame rate. 

“Since the Build Editor is so easy to 
use,” said Blum, “you can instantly [cre- 
ate] something that’s dog-slow.” 

Using the editor, which can display the 
current frame rate, designers Allan Blum 
and Richard Gray can cull particular 
regions, simplifying and modifying to 
make sure that the game performs as 
promised. 

As mentioned above, creating stairs 
requires you to create and raise a sector 
for each step. When the Build Engine is 
calculating a view' that contains steps, it 
must deal with each and every sector of 




PAUL SCHUYTEMA 


the steps each time it calculates a frame. 
Because of that, nothing bogs down 
frame rate like steps. Halfway through the 
project, the team was frustrated with this 
limitation and turned to Silvennan fora 
solution. He modified the engine to allow 
it to handle slopes, so that a single sector 
could be used instead of many. While 
steps are crucial in some levels, slopes 
have been used in other places to keep 
the frame rale manageable. 

Many of the spectacular effects in 
Dl IKK 3D came about as the designers 
forced the Build Engine to its limits. In 
level two of the shareware version, when 
the building blows up, allowing you 
access to the yellow key, Blum discovered 
that if you placed a canister of C-9 explo- 
sive on the ground, and then shrink it to 
its thinnest proportions, it is visible in the 
editor while invisible in the game. Tin's 
allowed him the opportunity to ‘pre- 
choreograph” a massive explosion by 
placing dozens of these emaciated canis- 


ters in front of the building. 

Blum and Gray have also logged many 
hours improving certain levels of the 
game to enhance the multiplayer experi- 
ence. Generally, the smaller, more com- 
pact levels favor multiplay, while the 
sprawling levels arc ideal for solo outings. 

“We may give net players a great place 
to hide and snipe from,” admitted Blum, 
“but there’s always a way to get there. 

Most of the time, you can also hear them 
creeping around. That's because I don’t 
like waiters. . . I like to kill waiters." 

GIVE 'EM WHAT THEY WANT 

“Some people think that we’re nuts, 
just giving our tools away," said George 
Broussard, president of 3D Realms. ‘‘The 
way we look at it is that we spent two 
years developing this thing, and we’re not 
going to use it any more. We’re moving 
on to newer technology. All that’s happen- 
ing here is that people are going to have 
fiin and enjoy a product for a change.” 



“With the Build Editor, you can basi- 
cally experiment to your hearts delight, 
and you can’t break anything. . . you’ve 
seen all those Doom editors out there— 



this just kicks their ass.” 

“I used to play [Doom] all the time,” 
confessed Blum, “but, ugh, I can’t take it 
anymore — I can’t ever go back to 
Doom.”% 




TBBf 


KOGADO 


© 1995 Megalech & Design, Inc., 
Torrance, CA 90501 • All rights reserved 


Catch us on the Web: 

http://www.megatech-soItware.com 


Minimum Requirements: 0/S - DOS 5.0, Ram - 4MB. Video - VGA, 

CD-ROM - 2x, Hard Disk - 5MB, Sound - Sound Blaster & MIDI, Input - Mouse 


Citizens of Planet Eartii 


mm 


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SCORPIA • ADVENTURE/RPG 




ley, is it spring 
already? 

Seems like 
jusl the oilier 
day we were 
getting into 
autumn, and 
now the win- 
ter’s already 
over! Where 
docs the time go? 1 guess you can really 
lose track of it when you’re with a good 
computer. You can also lose track of it 
when you're in a computer, and not a 
good one, at that. 

I Have No Moun i Birr I Must 
SCREAM is based on Harlan Ellisons short 
story of the same name, but you don’t 
have to have read it to play the game. It 
w ouldn’t help you, anyway, since while 
the game deals with the same characters 
and same evil computer, the action here is 

► Might & Magic VI brings a 
whole new look to the storied 
role-playing series, with a fully 
object-oriented emphasis on a 
“realistic” and rich fantasy world. 
Expect this one by late summer/ 
early fall. 

► The Dreamer’s Guild is doing 
an on-line pirate game, Skulls, 
Bones & Buccanners. From what 
we’ve seen so far, this game has 
a more sophisticated tactical 
combat system than Sid Meier's 
venerable Pirates!, and the crew 
management forms a big part of 


quite different from the story. (1/ may not 
be of much hell) in the game, but you're 
missing a treat if you don’t read the 
stoi)’.-Ed.) 

Five peoplc-Gorrister, Ellen, Benny, 
Nimdok, and Ted-are captives inside 
AM, a sentient computer that has wiped 
all life off the earth. AM hates everyone, 
and has kept these “lucky” folks alive to 
torture them endlessly, both physically 
and mentally. Not exactly a cheery situa- 
tion. 

Now' AM is playing a new game with 
them, and that’s what this one is about. 
Each character goes through a custom 
scenario created by AM, designed to 
exploit that persons weakness. Naturally, 
the computer hopes they will foul up. 
Your job is to see that they don’t. You do 
this by making the right choices, and 
keeping an eye on the Spiritual 
Barometer (SB), which is the background 

gameplay as well. 

► Fairy Tale Adventure, the old 
Amiga classic, is finally being 
updated for PC by Trimark. 

► If you’ve ever wondered why 
the TV show Joe’s Apartment (of 
MTV fame) hasn’t been made 
into a game yet, worry no longer. 
Viacom, flushed with the suc- 
cess of their Beavis & Butt-Head 
game, has acquired the license, 
so that you, as Joe, can fight off 
those ferocious cockroaches 
yourself. 


color of the. character’s portrait. It starts as 
black, fuming brighter green as you per- 
form the right actions. 

Perfect play will bring the SB up to 
white, although that isn’t absolutely nec- 
essary to “win” the scenario. However, it is 
vital that the color be at least very bright 
green for each character to ensure suc- 
cess in the endgame. The order of play 
doesn’t matter; each scenario is self-con- 
tained, so you can start with any of the 
five and continue in whatever sequence 
you like. 

GORRISTER 

'The first task 
here is to land the 
airship safely. 

Make a tour of 
the vessel, being 
sure to pick up all 
possible items 
(look especially 
carefully around 
the kitchen). One 

door is locked, and can’t be opened until 
later on. Once you’ve got everything in 
your hot little hands (if they’re a bit messy, 
wipe them off), it’s time to foul up the 
works a bit. As long as the engine is run- 
ning, safe landing isn’t possible, so you’ll 
want to do something about that. Then 


km Amaz- 
ingly, the 
game comes 
to a happy 
ending, of 
sorts. J J 


Don ’t Scream, Here Are Hints For I Have 
N o Mouth 


HAY 1996 


CC 




ADVENTURE/RPG 


SCORPIA 






ENGINE LUBRICATION Strange as it seems, you do need the 
milky white fluid. Take the key, then push the lever, use the 
fork on the engine and leave. 

!> A * — 


you can turn your attention lo the airbags 
(and don’t forget about the stitching at the 
far end; it's important). Before long, 
Corristcr should be arriving at the road- 
side honky-tonk. 

Nothing worthwhile is outside, so let’s 
go in. Not a lot to see here, either, though 
you should scan those shelves carefully. 
And how about that jukebox? It has some 
interesting tunes, although one is not rec- 
ommended listening. Check out the 
men’s room and by that time, I larry 
should be at the bar. 

He has a lot of information lo relate 
(keep in mind talking is thirsty work), and 
a helpful suggestion, loo. You should fol- 
low up on it, and maybe come across an 
important item you didn’t see before (no, 
not in the stall). 

Another interesting character, the 


but I HATE YELLOW As Ellen, reason with the sarcophagus, 
then wrap yourself in that disgusting yellow cloth to gain 
entrance to the secret passage. 

\A A .1% it— ■8WB— — — — 


Jackal, is waiting out back. You do 
have to give him what he wants, 
that will get you in lo sec Edna and 
Glyiiis, although you may want to 
hop back to the airship first for 
another look at the dining room. 

I here's not much you can do for 
Glynis right now. As for Edna, I 
wouldn’t trust her too far, but taking 
her down is a good thing. It’s best 
not to be violent here, no matter 
what. And you’ll 
finally gel the key to 
the locked door on 
the zeppelin, too. 

Before leasing the 
meat locker, you’ll 
want lo take a really close 
look at the beef carcass, as 
well. 

After y ou’ve read 
Edna’s (liar)', Gorrister 
should be in pretty' good 
shape. Now he can do 
something for Glynis, and 
after that, it’s time to take 
off. If you remember what 
powered the ship before, 
you should have an idea of what (who?) to 
use to start things up. And y ou can end 
things with a real bang by going out the 
rip for a final chat with the Jackal before 
leaving. 

Ellen "eh lo B 

play around in » ■ . 

.in I'cvplun- ■: 

nuitil pyramid. G 

' I!'- 

I .it; >1 I III k 

vellow, a color B j 

that gives liei I 
panic attacks. 

The monitors arc important; be sure to 
see both scenes on them, and don’t be 
afraid to do a little repair work. That will 
get you down below', where the fun 
begins. 

First we have the Anubis room, where 
Ellen can’t do much except talk to the 
statue for now. Beyond is a room with a 
couple of items, including some yellow' 
cloth that she has trouble picking up. 


Well, if at first you don’t succeed... 

Then there’s the room with the gold 
statues. Hie middle one is obviously 
important, what with the gem in its chest. 
Ellen’s reluctant to touch it, though; 
maybe she’s seeing too much yellow 
(note; even though the CD is perfectly 
visible, it can’t be taken at this time). 

Now we have the computer terminal 
room. The terminal on the left is the 
important one, after it’s been powered up. 


MORE mummy MOUTHINGS After you finish with the 
computer, make sure to go back and check out the sar- 
cophagus. 




That should give you some ideas about 
Anubis. Following through on that means 
going back upstairs and grabbing the cup, 
which ought to be easy enough now, and 
I don’t have to tell you what to do with it. 

Once Anubis is more cooperative, 

Ellen can enter the sarcophagus to relive 
the event that caused her fear of yellow'. 
All I’ll say about this is: you can’t run, you 
can’t hide, and you better not give up. 

After this little interlude, Ellen passes 
through a room she saw' on the monitor, 
then the heavy' yellow' room she couldn’t 
walk into before, which brings her back, 
eventually, to the terminal room, and the 
right-hand terminal, now usable. This part 
is pretty obvious, and before long, Ellen is 
chatting with a computer that isn’t AM 
(how interesting; looks like AM doesn’t 
know quite everything). 

It mentions something she overlooked, 
which is likely back in the gold statue 
room. There's only one thing to do: go 
back, get it, and use it, dangerous though 
that may be. Then it’s just a matter of leav- 
ing this delightful place, and Anubis has 


CG 


HAY 1996 







te ffij at tte Dew Drop h. M 1 m 

m to southing. She ® 5 feet 
\ motes ol trouble and I m just an «% 
mob asaj froi being 5 feet under. 



PHILIPS 


The Dame Was Loadec (is about lust, danger, diamonds, deceit. And it’s about time. Finally, 40’s film 
noir and full-screen video make their debut on PC and Mac CD-ROM. You’re Scott Anger - a skirt- 
chasing, wise-cracking, piece-packing LA P.1, - here to unravel a plot with more curves than the 
enticing young widow. The trick is to gamble for clues and work to one of 9 gripping climaxes. 
Remember, this dame could make you filthy rich. Or just make you dead. 


To order call 1 -800-883-3767. Visit our Web Site at http://www.philipsaiedia.coai/media/gomes 

© 1996 Philips Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 

Circle Reader Service #147 


1 PHILIPS 




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Fly death flyers into battle 
Cybrids to save Earth from 

Earth Siege 2! 

IBM CD #39462 


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IBM CD #43441 Parading Entortainm«nt 




Play a full NBA season, or jump right to 

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Features all 29 NBA teams. 

IBM CD # 40705 Electronic Art 


CD ROM ENTERTAINMENT 
32903 1 Ith h 
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Virtual Pilot Pro works just like a real 

airplane yoke, with multiple fire buttons, 
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awaits in Wipeout, a game where light- 
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In Star Trek: Klingon, you're 

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IBM CD #41 260 


Simon & Schuster I 



$99 


Thrustmaster T2: allows you to get the 

most out of IndyCar and NASCAR. 
Designed for accuracy & realism. 

Hardware #41348 Thrustmaster 


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I Wizzard Pinball Controller's features 

I include dual flipper buttons, table nudge 
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Hardware #42753 



In Elk Moon Murder, you are a rookie 

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WIN 95 CD #41236 



Roland" 

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Get set for 2 1 st Century air combat! 

Advanced Tactical Fighters features 
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Sound Canvas add-on upgrade board. 
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ADVENTURE/RPG 


SCORP1A 


some advice on that. 



Benny’s 

been deformed 
by AM; he 
can’t speak 
beyond a few 
mumbled 
sounds, walks 
crouched over, 
and doesn’t 


have much use . 
of his hands. Don't feel too sorry for him, 
however; there’s a dirt}’ secret in his past 
that he’ll have to confront and overcome 
in this scenario. 



CAVEMAN BENNY Surrounded by primitives, Benny must 
choose his words carefully to avoid misunderstandings- 
and a lost game. 


He’s been dropped in a sort of 
jungle/primitive native type of place. After 
a quick cheek of the area (that altar looks 
ominous, and so does the graveyard, for 
that matter), it’s time to visit the inhabi- 
tants. Don’t worry' too much about the 
left-most cave; you’ll be able to gel in 
there when it matters. 

'Hie village elder doesn’t have much to 
say, and it’s really the mother and child 
who are important here. Benny will have 
to get on good Icons with them before 
much happens; perhaps a little gift would 
do the trick. 'Iheu a close look at the 
video screen is in order. 

It won’t be long before we find out AM 
gets some jollies by demanding sacrifices 
from the natives. Good old AM. Benny’s 
probably all tired out by' now, but he can’t 
sleep while lie’s hungry'. Tried some of the 


fruit yet? Not too nice, is it? Maybe his 
new friends can help him. 

Morning comes along, and mom isn’t 
around the cave. Well, this is sacrifice day, 
after all. Maybe we should look in on this. 
Yep, everyone is gathered around the altar, 
and guess who pulls the black stone? Of 
course, the kid’s mom. Unfortunately' 
there’s nothing you can do here except 
watch what happens, and then tell the 
boy : the bad news. A dismal day, and the 
sooner it ends, the better. 

On the next morning, a look at the 
elder’s video screen shows AM wants 
another sacrifice tomorrow. He (it?) is 
really becoming insatiable; I wonder if 
there’s a way to stop this craziness. Ponder 
that while taking a walk to the cemetery'. 
This is a good place to save, as the wrong 
conversation line will cost Benny some 
SB, and we don’t want that. 

Back at the village, it looks like the 
elder has gone out food gathering, and 
left a little something behind. How conve- 
nient! I lelp yourself, and chat with the 
boy afterwards. I le won’t hide unless lie 
has a doll for company, so it’s time to 
make the rounds to find the parts. The 
head and body arc easy enough; for the 
connecting material, you’ll want to visit 
the left-most cave. 

Now you have to do something about 
the bag; it wouldn’t be wise to be seen 
miming around with it, although there is 
someone who might be interested in 
knowing what Benny’s lugging around. 
Remember to bring a little gift for 
Brinkman, too. 


So the final comes around, and sur- 
prise! 'I he kid is gone. I wonder where lie 
could be? Where else but the altar? Need 
I say what must be done here? Of course 
not, so just do it. 

NIMDOK 

Of the five, 

Nimdok proba- 
bly has the 
worst sins in his 
past, but even 
lie can make 
amends of 
sorts and find a 
little redemp- 
tion. He starts out in a camp, and it won’t 
lake long to discover it’s a Nazi experi- 
mental station. Yeah, Nimdok has some 
sins to account for, all right. 

After a quick chat with the prisoner, 
look in on the hospital. I wouldn’t recom- 
mend perfonning the operation, but you 
might want to do something about the 
other doctor. A hasty exit is then called for, 
and not the way you came in. 

Nasty little Recovery' Room, isn’t it? 

You can’t stay here right now' though, so 
find the other way out, into the oven 
room. There's a couple of things to pick 
up here, and something to read (happily, 
you don’t have to do anything with those 
ovens). By then the excitement should be 
over, and you can exit to the yard and 
return to the hospital (security around 
here doesn’t seem to be very good). 

A new patient has replaced the boy, but 
skip him for the moment and talk to the 
kid (fortunately 
untouched) in the other 
room first. Back in the 
operating room, you may 
want to ease the patient’s 
pain, and then go back 
outside to sec what’s what 
there. Another prisoner 
has turned up, caught on 
barbed wire and slow'Iy 
dying. ’Iherc’s probably a 
couple of things you can 
do lor him, before talking 
to the original inmate 
again. 

Let’s not forget that 




CC 


MAY 1996 





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Circle Reader Service #209 


ADVENTU RE/RPG 


SCORPIA 




man in the operating room. I his is a good 
time to honor his original request. Step 
into (lie anteroom for a moment (some- 
thing you need is there), then make tracks 
for the oven room exit, because the pris- 
oners just broke out of confinement (gee, 

1 wonder how that happened?). Either 
conversation line will get you through the 
gate and off to the bunker. 

What Nimdok needs to do here is get 
the golem operational. First though, 
check out the vat very carefully, for an 
important item, and be sure Nimdok 
looks at it. After examining both the blue- 
prints and the golem, w hat comes next 
will be obvious. You do have to be careful 
about what you say here, though; being 
honest is important. 

On the way out, you’ll run into 
Mengele. It’s tempting to kill him (after 
pumping him for all he has to say), but 
there's a better way of dealing with him. 
Outside, Nimdok finds the prisoners have 
caught up to him. Me only has to do one 
more thing with the golem, and the sce- 
nario will end. 

TED 

Ted’s not so 
bad as some; 
his main prob- 
lem is shallow- 
ness more than 
anything else. 

He starts in a 
room with sev- 
eral monitors; 
choosing the castle is the right move. 

Once inside the castle, he soon comes 
across Ellen (his girlfriend, apparently; no 
relation to the other Ellen above), who 
isn’t long for this w'orld. She tells him 
about her magic mirror that protects her 
from her evil stepmother. Too bad the 
mirror is missing; now we’ll have to find it. 

As you check out the various rooms, be 
sure to read all the books you come 
across, and, as usual, pick up anything you 
can. In the kitchen is a maid who might 
be helpful; I don’t advise accepting her 
offer of a cozy bed, though. 

Oka>', so she wasn’t much help; at least 
Ted is keeping himself pure for the 
moment. You may be w ondering about 


that little icon from the chapel; w'liile 
nothing important hinges on this, it will 
raise Ted’s SB a little if you figure out 
where to use it. 

You may want to look in briefly on 
Ellen, where a Devil has appeared, wait- 
ing to grab her soul when she dies. Tliis is 
also a good time to check 
those bookcases again, in 
case you missed some- 
thing the first time 
around. Then you can go 
looking for the secret pas- 
sage in the chapel (you 
knew' there had to be one, 
right?). 

This brings you to a 
confrontation with the 
witch. By all means, find 
out what she’s up to, but 
don’t accept any offers. If 
you read the right book, 
you’ll know how to deal 
with her, and then you 
can summon up the demon yourself. 

Surgat can open anything, and there’s 
likely a room you haven’t been able to 
enter yet. No, the mirror isn’t there; all 
you can do is look around, but one item 
should give you a pretty' good idea as to 
who nabbed the mirror. Have a chat with 
the culprit to obtain a clue to the mirror’s 
location. This is tricky, because it’s not in 
the chapel. Try the lord of the manor’s 
room. 

After Ellen pops off, you have to decide 
whether the angel or the devil gets her 
soul. We’ll hope you make the right 
choice here, and then follow' the winner’s 
advice to bring the scenario to a success- 
fill conclusion. 

END GAME 

This is a little disap- 
pointing. The only one to 
send over, really, is 
Nimdok, because only he 
can operate the pit station 
to open the bridge. You 
can also ignore the five 
power nodes, as the game 
can be finished without 
touching them at all. 

So Nimdok goes over, 


arriving on what looks like the surface of a 
brain. He carries five totems; these items 
come from the successful completion of 
each of the five scenarios, and all have 
their uses here. Look at them to see what 
they represent in this segment. 

Once across the bridge, the first to use 


is obvious, and our friend Surgat show's 
up. Don’t trust him too far. Eventually, the 
other two computers appear, and they 
have some instructions for you. I wouldn’t 
trust them too far, either. 

Three computers, three faces. I’ll bet 
there’s a connection here (heh). I’ll bet 
there’s also a connection with three of 
those totems, too. What to use where will 
be obvious after some conversation. That 
leaves only one item, and where to use 
that should also be obvious. Amazingly, 
the game comes to a happy ending, of 
sorts. 

Whew! That’s about it for now. Until 
next time, happy adventuring! % 


fltflrit Scorpio In th( following ways: 


AOL: Look in on Scorpia’s Lair (Keyword: Scorpia). 
Delphi: Visit the GameSIG (under the Groups & 
Clubs menu). 

Genie: Stop by the Games RoundTable (type: 
Scorpia to reach the Games FfT). 

U.S. Mail: (enclose a self-addressed, stamped 
envelope if you live in the U.S.). 

Scorpia, 

PO Box 338 

Gracie Station, New York, NY 10028. 




GOOD CANT EXIST WITHOUT EVIL It’s hard to believe, 
but the chapel is the route to the devil Surgat, whom you 
need to win the game. 


cc 


HAY 1996 




Episode 1 is waiting 


http://www.maxis-com 


■MAXIS 


Circle Reader Service #255 




ADVENTURE/RP6 


REVIEW • MISSION CRITICAL 





Price: $59.95 
System Requirements: 
IBM compatible 486-33 
or better, 4 MB RAM, 
VESA compatible SVGA 
graphics, 2x CD-ROM, 
mouse; supports 
SoundBlaster, General 
MIDI and compatibles. 
Protection: None (CD 
must be in drive) 
Designer: Mike Verdu 
Publisher: Legend 
Entertainment Company 
Chantilly, VA 
(800) 658-8891 
Reader Service d: 323 



Savior 
Syndrome 

Despite Cliches, Legend Scores A Critical Sci-Fi Hit 

by Martin Cirulis 




must admit to a dark secret: I have 
a problem with Adventure 
Games. Namely, I usually don’t 
find them to be very adventurous. 

1 grew up on the escapades of 
heroes, both real and literary, and, 
while they were all quick of mind 
and had to deal with the occasion- 
al maze, I don’t remember any of 
them having to endure all the 
endless, inane, and unrealistic puzzles-dis- 
guiscd-as-problems that infest every 
square inch of the average computer 
adventure game. So it was with more than 
a little trepidation that 1 booted up 
Mission CRITICAL, the new SF title from 
Legend. Fortunately, Mission Critical 
is a pleasant surprise, the rare game that 
can serve as an example of how to do a 
good, straightforward SF adventure. 




MILITIA FANTASIES 

Mission Critical sports an extremely 
well fleshed-out story and background, 
except for the cliched premise so com- 
mon to SF adventure games: the Evil UN 
is spoiling everything, and only clever 
Americans can lead the way back to free- 
dom. In this ease, all those crazy foreign- 
ers take over the world and proscribe cer- 
tain technologies, specifically nano-bot Al 
lifcfonns, as being harmful to mankind. 
Eventually, a group of countries rebel 
against this motherly yoke and break away 
to fonn The Alliance, which fights in the 
name of unchecked scientific advance- 
ment, eating cake for breakfast and mu- 
lling with scissors. Of course, knowing 
what hotheads those UN types are, a long 
war of secession immediately breaks out; 
and attrition being what it is, the Alliance 
finds itself slowly losing ground and in 


desperate need of an unbeatable tactical 
advantage such as the accidental discov- 
er)' of an Alien outpost on the distant hell- 
planet Persephone. This is where you 
come in. 

You are an Alliance Naval officer and 
basic Good Guy, and while it isn’t stated 
overtly which country leads the Alliance, 
your starship is the USS Lexington — 
leaving little doubt which way your apple 
pie is buttered. Your starfaring 
Battlecruiser is escorting a science ship 
into orbit around Persephone, when sud- 
denly a UN Battleship pops out from 
around the far side of the planet and rav- 
ages both Alliance vessels so badly that 
your captain (played in near-subsonic 
fashion by Star Trek: TNG’s Michael 
Dorn) must surrender. Fortunately, all is 
not lost, and in a Kamikaze maneuver, 
your Captain knocks you out to fool the 
enemy scanners and transports the crew 


of both vessels to the victorious UN 
Battleship. But much to everybody's cha- 
grin, he also brings along a thermonuclear 
warhead that goes boom at the moment 
of docking. 

I his renders you both friendless and 
enemy-less in a single white flash, and 
incidentally leaves you with the almost 
impossible task of continuing the mission 
alone...but I guess Worf figured that a slim 
chance is better than no chance at ail, and 
preferred to die rather than let the UN 
take the prize. Contrived? Yes, but you 
have little time to ponder this as you are 
greeted by the scream of escaping air, fol- 
lowed by the polite computer pointing 
out the deck you arc on will soon blow- out 
into space, unless somebody gets his act 
together and patches the hull breach. 

SPATIAL SENSIBILITIES 

After you get through the live-action 


CG 


MAY 1996 





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Circle Reader Service #47 




ADVENTURE/RPG 


REVIEW • MISSION CRITICAL 



► GALACTIC PLUMBER'S FRIEND Problem with the emergency coolant? No big 
deal— my Pocket of Infinite Storage lets me hike around with everything from a 
cutting torch to a Spacesuit. 


video frame for the 
story' which consists 
of some pretty f;iir 
acting for 20-odd 
minutes at the begin- 
ning and another 10 
or so at the end, you 
are faced with an 
SVGA first-person 
perspective game 
that initially looks like 
a well-done version 
of Alien Virus. Only 
after you begin mov- 
ing about the 
Lexington do you 
realize that this is more like an SF version 
ofTi IE lltli Hour, with that same high 
resolution moving-through-syrup feeling 
as you mouse-click your way down halls. 
While the SVGA look is modem, the 
actual game mechanics are classic tried- 


While I’m sure none of this sounds rev- 
olutionary' to most of you out there, the 
real strength of this game is not in the 
mechanics, but what you are expected to 
do with them. MC strives, and usually 
succeeds, in giving you realistic problems 


the resolution is probably 
far more philosophically 
complex than most play- 
ers arc used to. 

MISSION: ENJOYABLE 

Mission Critical has 
its problems, and for all 
the obvious work put into 
it, there is still a “first prod- 
uct” feel to the game that 
may put off the experi- 
enced gamer despite the 
good graphics and excel- 
lent sound. On the other 
hand, this game is both 
extremely stable and its system require- 
ments are wonderfully low in this age of 
muscle machines and sloppy program- 
ming. 

'Hie story' is good, recovering well from 
a weak start, with the wonderful fleshing 


and-tnic adventure game stuff. 



Mission Critical takes very few cheap shots. Even 


so, some gamers may not be used to looking for 
key items where they should be in a large Starship, 
instead of having them close by the problem they 
are involved in. In a game where tools are very 
important and certain ones are used over and over, 
here is a short guide on where to find what you 
need in a hurry and a couple of hints on what to do 
with them. 

After you have sealed the 
hull and gained access to 
the rest of the ship, you’ll 
have a few moments to 
shop around before the 
reactor core melts down 
and ruins your whole 
year. Zoom down to the 
science lab on Deck 5, 
where you’ll find the 
mi »» - . oui »“> ■ ver v hand y Gei a er 

ren’f always oW'° • counter, and take the 

a . . scanner as well (for 

'°® c ‘ some key views once you get 

down to Persephone). From there, zip down a 
level to Deck 6 and snag the extremely useful multi- 
tool that will carve open most things that seem to 
be more than they appear. The last key tool is the 
cutting torch, and can be found in Engineering once 
the Geiger counter helps you “hot-cold” your way 
down there. With these four gadgets and a clear 
head, you should be well on your way to getting 
your “Starship Repair" merit badge. 




to solve, some of them lethal but most 
not. There is no game-playing security 
program or pointless maze in this game. 
Your task for the first half of the game is to 
gel the Lexington functioning again so 
you can figure out exactly what is going 
on and then decide what you are going to 
do about it, but the beaut}' of this game is 
how much credit they give the player. 
Instead of insulting your intelligence with 
time-consuming “puzzle” tasks, MC gives 
you “real” tasks like figuring out how to 
reroute coolant into the reactor or fixing 
the antennae so you can get orders from 
the high command. ’ITiings are almost 
never as easy as they first appear, but the 
obstructions arc organic to the story. 
Rarely do you feel the obtrusive monkey 
wrench of fate which designers use to 
stretch out adventure games or make 
them “more challenging." 

Players should be warned that there is a 
major combat sequence in the middle of 
this game, but it is more tactical than 
arcade in execution. Players unwilling to 
mix strategy with their adventure can set 
the difficult)' to its lowest level, and the 
game will run through it for you like 
another video sequence. Also, those 
expecting another Die: will be suqmscd 
that the exploration of the Alien base only 
comprises the last third of the game, and 


out of the sets and backgrounds earning 
most of the game. There is a small lack in 
the drama department, most of the cli- 
matic moments being wcll-conceived but 
a little too flat or cerebral to deliver a lot of 
excitement. On the other hand, the end- 
ing is probably one of the deeper ones 1 
have seen lately. 

While far different in execution, 
Mission Critical shares many sensibili- 
ties with Origin’s SYSTEM Si 10CK, another 
great SF adventure game, and I heartily 
recommend this game to anybody who 
isn’t wearing a “I'm so clever I finished 
The Uth Hour in 90 minutes” T-shirL 
Even more importantly, I find myself 
eagerly awaiting the next adventure from 
these designers. % 


►APPEAL: A great game for anyone 
who loves SF and wants to immerse 
themselves in another world. 

►PROS: Fast, enjoyable game on the 
same difficulty level as Full Throttle. 
A pleasant departure from more puz- 
zle-oriented adventure games. 
►COHS: 

Experienced 
adventure gamers 
might find it too 
short, and there 
are some flat 
spots in the story. 



CC 



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Circle Reader Service # 246 



BAD DAY ON THE MIDWAY • REVIEW 


Psychedelic 

Camy 

The Residents Will Make You Think Twice About Those 

Carnival Hot Dogs 


n n the most broad sense, Inscape’s 
| I Bad Day on the Midway is an 
; ■ adventure game. It plays out in a 
■ dark landscape that’s ec|ual parts 
i ■ bad dream and good mushroom 
I ■ trip, complete with off-center 
H camera angles, blurry transitions, 
H and carnival-esque attractions tlial 
defy description. One “ride” 

HI whisks you through a gallery of 
emotional scarring (Consumed by 
Unseen Self, Paralyzed by Mob Inertia, 
Brain Buried by Libido ...); another fea- 
tures graphic paintings of atrocities from 
the Spanish Civil War. 'I here’s even a 
sperm whale giving birth to an electric eel 
right across the midway from the Tliree- 
I leaded Abominable Snowman. 

'Then there are the aptly-named char- 
acters ... a collection of eclectically pathet- 
ic souls that you don’t just talk to, you 
become, seeing the world through their 
eyes, privy to their innennost thoughts. 

There’s Ike, the owner of the 
Midway, who feels a certain kin- 
ship with Hitler. His previous ven- 
ture — a fascist miniature golf 
course where every' Monday was 
“Master Race Day”— went 
under. Now that lie’s laid up with 
a bad coma following some 
unspecified accident involving 
acid, the Midway's in trouble, too. 

Dixie, Ike’s nonc-too-bright 
bride, is gamely trying to fill his 
shoes while pursuing her life-long 
dream of becoming an enchanted 
singing cowgirl, like the one in the 
stories her daddy used to tell. Her 
motley work force includes Otto, 


the whiny operator whose only friend is 
Oscar the Racing Rat; Dagmar, whose 
relationships with dogs and men are inter- 
twined throughout her life and tattooed 
across her body; and Lottie the Human 
I og, who dances and sings a happy little 
song about the time her legs were man- 
gled in an automobile accident. 

PAUSE BRIEFLY FOR PLOT 
DEVELOPMENT 

There's also a deranged psycho on the 
loose, working to rid the earth of ugliness 
by killing everyone and everything that 
offends his personal sense of aesthetics; 
even kittens aren’t exempt. He collects 
scraps of this and that from his victims 
and fashions them into lovely “butterflies.” 

Tin's is a dark game, populated with 
profoundly disturbed people sporting 
twisted world views. ' I he only vaguely 
happy camper is Timmy, an innocent lit- 
tle boy given to Freudian dreams and wist- 


by Mark Clarkson 

ful memories of his departed hamster, and 
even lie’s been known to shoot people. 
Every body’s got a story to tell, from Ike on 
down to the Racing Rat, and hearing as 
many of them as you can is a big part of 
the game. 

I sat mesmerized by Bad Day on the 
Midway for nearly an hour, neither know- 
ing nor caring what the plot was. As 
William Hurt say's to Tom Bcrcnger in The 
Big Chill, “Sometimes you just have to let 
art (low over you.” 

But it turns out there actually is a plot 
of sorts. Dixie is desperate to find tax 
papers with which to fend off the tena- 
cious IRS agent, some money to pay the 
bills, or at least some more ammo for the 
Kill a Commie Shooting Gallery. (“Why 
don’cha come on in and knock off a few 
Commies?”) Luckily, there’s rumored to 
be a fortune in gold hidden somewhere 
on the Midway. 

Meanwhile, the man who may be 

responsible for Ike’s accidcnt- 
that-vveren’t-no-accidcnt is 
back, in disguise. As you play; 
time keeps ticking away; 
come nine o’clock, the 
Midway shuts down and the 
game is over, if you survive 
that long, 'fliere as many 
ways to die in Bad Day on 
the Midway as there are 
characters to play. You can be 
shot, murdered by the psy- 
cho killer or crushed beneath 
the skeleton of the three 
headed abominable snow- 
man. And, oh, did I mention 
the plague? By nightfall, peo- 




M- — 


► THE EYES HAVE IT Bizarre as it looks, the game’s interface is 
sheer simplicity; take your time, because the clues you need are 
often a mere mouse click away. 




Price: $49.95 
System Requirements: 
IBM compatible 486- 
33DX or better, 
Windows 3.1 or better. 
8 MB RAM (16 MB rec- 
ommended), 256-color 
Graphics, 2x CD-ROM, 
16-bit sound card. 
Protection: None (CD 
must be in drive) 
Design: Jim Ludtke 
and Lain Lamb with 
The Residents 
Publisher: Inscape 
Los Angeles. CA 
(800) 741-3043 
Reader Service d: 324 


MAY 1996 


cc 


ADVENTURE/RPG 




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Circle Reader Service H290 



BAD DAY OH THE MIDWAY • REVIEW 


pic arc dropping like flics. 

Playing llie game through won’t take 
you long: an hour or two. But with Bad 
Days many characters, choices and sur- 
prising helpings of pure randomness, it’s 
never the same two hours twice. 

TILT-A-WORLD 

'I lie characters are played by stiff-joint- 
ed puppets with actors’ faces projected 
onto their heads, composited into Bad 
Day’s tilted, 3D-rendered world. 'Hie 
result is decidedly funky and not very real- 
istic, but it fits well with the look and feel 
of the rest of this demented game. 

’Hie introductory sequence flies you 
over the midway then swoops down and 
punches straight through the back of cute 
little Timmy’s head, leaving you looking 
out through his eyes. After that, any time 
another character stops to talk, you have 
the chance to “jump” to that character, 
trading one set of eyes and inner voices 
for another. 

’flic characters’ interior monologues 


play out in broken fragments across the 
bottom of the screen. It’s a mistake to 
ignore them and go clicking your way 
frantically about the midw ay, looking for 
clues; most of your clues are right in front 
of you. 

Rather than the typical, linear game 
where w e follow a single character down 
a long, narrow plot path— find the key, 
enter the city, find the balloon, find the 
helium, fill the balloon, fly to'liimbolia— 
Bad Day offers a shorter, wider, more 
convoluted plot path which you experi- 
ence over and over from different per- 
spectives. No single pair of eyes sees 
everything; no one person knows the 
whole story. The point of the game is to 
play it through again and again, to explore 
the inner w orlds of all the characters, to 
experience every possible ending, includ- 
ing all the death scenes. 

While there is as much multimedia as 
game here. Bad Day nonetheless man- 
ages to tell several good stories, when 
most adventure games can’t spin even 


one good tale. Jim Ludlke and The 
Residents have given the genre a much- 
needed spike of heroin — a dark glimpse 
into people’s souls, exploring alienation 
and defonnily and insanity and death, 
with a big dash of macabre humor. If this 
virtual dmg trip isn’t for you, fine. On the 
other hand, if you want to try something 
truly different, Bad Day may just be your 
ticket. % 


►APPEAL: This is for anyone who 
can’t stomach another goody-goody 
adventure game with cute elves and 
overly polite princes. 


►PROS: As bizarre as the entire 
experience is, the characters are so 
intriguing— even the ones you don’t 
like— that they entice you to play 
again and again. 

►CONS: There 
are times when 
the game is so 
stylized that the 
plot development 
suffers too much, 
even for an “inter- 
active art film.” 




“Su-27 FLANKER is a must-own 
for serious PC flight junkies. ” 

— PC Entertainment 


"Su-27 is without qualification the most 
realistic modern-day air combat simulation 
on the market. ” 

— Strategy Plus 


Circle Reader Service #208 


ADVENTURE/RPG 




STONEKEEP • STRATECY 


Deep In The 
Keep 

A Traveler’s Aid For Unlocking Stonekeep’s Toughest Puzzles 

by Petra Schlunk 



p WHAT A FAERY Give the Faeries what they want and they’ll reward you with useful 
I items and advice. 


Sewers, and you must fully explore both 


o you ever stare at walls, 
unsure if they arc real or 
imaginary? Tired of mystic 
symbols and unfeeling orbs 
that leave you cold? Will 
the purple mists around 
your head never clear? If 
so, you aren’t alone — 
Interplays STONEKEEP is 
filled with puzzles that can 
stump even experienced players. Hie fol- 
lowing guide will take you to healing 
fountains, show you where keys arc hid- 
den, and what dangers to avoid. Be care- 
ful, however, lest you spoil the game for 
yourself by reading too far ahead of your 
current position. 

FROM RUINS TO SEWERS 

First, find your way downstairs from the 
tower and head east. Go up the stairs in 
the southeast comer to find the nearest 
healing fountain. Mark this location; 
Drake will return here many times to 
recuperate from his battles. After you 
defeat the Shargas in the central room, 
you get Afri's Orb. Placed on the ground 
in front of Drake, this orb reveals hidden 
rooms and nearby unexplored areas. 

On level two, find the illusionary' walls 
by: 1) hying to walk through the walls — 
somewhat difficult; or, 2) wait until you 
have freed Farli the dwarf— let him detect 
the w alls for you. Make sure to go down 
both stairwells from the first to the second 
level, or you may not find everything. The 
Ivory' Key is on the second level in a room 
with two sacks of grain; this room is 
opened with an Iron Key' dropped by 
three Shargas after a battle. 

Two exits lead from the Ruins to the 


routes. Hie Sewers can only be drained, 
however, with two cylinders hidden under 
the brackish water. Step back, literally', and 
y ou will find a cylinder in each of the two 
Sewer sections. Place these cylinders in 
the mounted drain cylinder switch control 
devices on the previous level, then press 
each device. This drains the Sewers and 
opens the two walls there that Farli com- 
mented on. 

In the center of the Sewers lives a 
huge, tcntaclcd beast. Kill the beast, brave 
adventurer, and get the small marble stat- 
ue that it drops. In the area surrounding 
the beast’s lair, listen for the sound of the 
whistling winds. When y ou hear them, go 
through the illusionary wall to your east, 
so that you can exit the Sew ers. You find 
that you have re-entered the Ruins, but 
arc in an undiscovered area. Once you 
find the pedestal, place the statue on it to 
open a passageway to the Sharga Mines. 


THE SHARGA MINES AND THE 
TEMPLE OF THROGGI 

In one area of the mines, Drake falls 
into a pit— it’s inevitable, don’t fight it. Be 
prepared to back up quickly, though, or a 
giant will smash y our character with a 
huge boulder. Elsewhere, you find this 
same giant sleeping by a chest, lie can’t 
be killed, but you really must get to that 
chest— limv? Once again, retreat; then 
smash the barrels near the chest with a 
ranged attack— firebombs w ork w ell for 
this. Afterwards, the Giant will have (led 
the premises, so you are free to recover 
the ITiroggish Key and Aquila’s Orb from 
the chest. By using Aquila’s Orb on the 
party, Drake can heal everyone two times 
on each level. Ihc lliroggish Key unlocks 
the western exit of the second level of the 
Mines, leading to the Temple Entrance. 

Bew'arc! A section of the Entrance is 
frill of arrow traps. Make sure you’ve 
explored everywhere else that you can 



CC 




HAY 1996 


ADVCNTU RC/R PG 




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Circle Reader Service #277 




STONEKEEP • STRATEGY 



reach beforehand. 
Among the items you 
should find is a scroll 
on a dwarf s body. 'Hie 
scroll has a list of direc- 
tions (right, forward, 
left) for getting through 
the arrow zone intact. 

Now, take the stairs 
beyond the traps to 
reach the Temple of 

k ELVEN frozen TREAT Cast a low level firebolt spell or use ' niro S8 L VVhilc ,lle 
I Helion’s Orb to thaw out this frosty elf. Temple has a lot of 

jj puzzles, your main goal 

is to enter the temple 

proper (door with froggish face at the top), get an orb from a statue of'ITiroggi, and exit 
the level. There are two ways into the inner temple. One is a secret passage that leads 
from a prison cell to the temple. The other is through the main entrance if you have 
fought Gorda Kam and recovered the Throg Pendant from him. 

Inside the inner temple is a statue ofThroggi. Steal one of his eyes; this is Azraels 
Orb. Used on Drake, it endows him with Quickness, and you must have Azraels Orb to 
pass the gate of spears near the entrance to this level in any case. Beyond the spear gate 
is the next level, the Feeding Grounds. 


THE FEEDING GROUNDS AND DWARVEN FORTRESS 

To reach the Feeding Grounds’ second level, you must find one of two copper-col- 
ored Throggish Keys. Tliere are two doors on level one with glowing green glyphs that 
damage Drake if he tries to pass them. Until Drake has been to heeding Grounds level 
two, he won’t be able to pass these glyphs safely. 

Once you've reached level two of the heeding Grounds, you find some red feathers. 
These allow your party to pass the glyphs on the doors upstairs. When you meet the 
chained dragon, you free her by finding two halves of a sturdy key. 

Also on this level, you encounter the infamous purple wisps. Fvcn if they irritate you 
(as they do the Dwarf), keep in mind that these wisps are faeries and therefore friendly! 
Where the Faeries disappear is the entrance to the Faerie Realm; keep this in mind for 
later. Meamvhile, you should check out another item on this level: a huge stone, made 
of magic flint, something you will definitely need later on. 

After you’ve explored the accessible areas of level two of the Feeding Crounds, return 
to the first level and go through the glyphed doors, one of which leads to the Dwarven 
Portress. Flere you meet a blacksmith whose forge must be re-lit before he can help you. 
Take the magic chisel he gives you, and return to Feeding Grounds level two. Use the 
magic chisel on the large stone to get a piece of flint. Return to the fortress, re-light the 
forge and get the key fixed. With the now'-wiiolc key, first unlock the chains binding the 
dragon’s legs and then the ones around her neck. After she leaves, you can explore the 
corridors that her body had previously blocked. 


FAERIE REALM 

Plant a primrose on the second level of the Feeding Grounds where faeries keep dis- 
appearing; this opens a small room to the east that leads to the faerie Realm. Three 
things must be done here, first, find what each faerie is missing and get items or advice 
in exchange. Second, you must visit the Queen — the faeries are more than willing to 
offer advice, and give you some key items needed to sec her. Third, you must explore 
the troll area. Do this only after you get the four-leafed clover from Sweetie. The clover 
lets you see the trolls, making it easier to kill these tough monsters. 


CC 




ider Servieil 









HAY 1996 


qlm tera’ngan! 

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LEARN OR DIE! 

Circle Reader Service U252 

STAR TREK"* & 01996 Paramount Pictures. AH Rights Received. STAR TREK and Related Properties are Trademarks ol Paramount Pictures. 01996 Simon & Schuster Interactive, e division of Simon & Schuster. Inc. 






STONEKEEP • STRATEGY 


lb see the Queen, you need two keys (from Giggles and Surly) and some primroses. 
Use the two large keys on a key hole near the ground to the right of the spear gate. Go 
through the gate. Drop five primroses at the Queen’s door (you may need to step baek 
before dropping the primroses) and go twice around the square walkway in front of her 
door. Then you can enter and see the Queen in all her glory'. Finally, be sure you kill all 
the trolls! You must find Yoth-Soggoth’s Orb (which can recharge your nmecasters) in 
the troll area. 

ICE CAVERNS 

Be sure that you complete the Faerie Realm before heading to the lee Caverns. Here 
you must find a special weapon to show to Kandoc, leader of the local tribe. A hint: use 
Afri’s orb often. When you see a “secret” area, try hitting the wall that blocks your way. 
There arc two such breakable walls; behind one is the weapon, a blue ball of fire. 

After you show Kandoc the blue fire, he leads you to a secret passageway. Go through 
the passage and kill the Ice Queen. She drops Helion’s Orb, which is a wanning orb. It 
thaw's out any frozen characters and keeps your party from taking further damage in the 
Caverns. A new exit, south of the Ice Queen, opens after you kill her. 'I his leads to the 
Gate of the Ancients. 


GATE OF THE ANCIENTS AND THE PITS 

Your main objectives here arc to find: 1) the exit, in a secret area in the middle of the 
Gate of the Ancients; and 2) Safrinni’s Orb. Explore this area carefully for illusionary' 
walls, buttons and teleporters. Descend all pits and ladders you find to gel to the Pits. 
Make sure you search all of them! It helps to mark explored ones on your map so you 
know where you’ve been. 

In one of the first areas of the Pits are three rooms and a plaque that warns not to be 
greedy. Enter the middle room to get the Wolf Key, and use it to open a door in the 
Gate. In the area behind this door you find the Eagle Key, which in turn opens another 
area, where you find a Very' Sturdy Key; This key opens the last door on this level. 

To gel to the center area (and the exit) of the Gate, go to the Pits, where you read a 
plaque about "rising above your station.” Use Safrinni s Orb to float up through the hole 
in the ceiling at the end of this hallway, then try' to w alk through the w alls you find. This 
may take a few tries until you find the right wall. Wien you manage to pass through to 
the center area., explore it carefully and be sure you have six orbs before you leave. 


THE PALACE OF SHADOWS 



'Hie Palace has left and right sides that arc mirror images of one another. So, when 
you find a button or illusionary wall during your explorations, understand that there will 
be one just like it on the other side of the dungeon. 

In the Palace, you find tw o mystic symbols. Placing both symbols together in the 
places where y ou found 
them reveals the 
entrance to the central 
halls of the palace. Down 
the center, Marifs giant 
orb blocks your way, so 
shrink and collect it.'lliis 
orb gives great strength 
and allows you to pass 
formerly impenetrable 
barriers. Past one of these 
barriers is a floating skull 
called Scourge; near him 
is the exit to Khull 


> KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY ORBS In the final confronta- 
tion, bravery and strength will get you nowhere. Try trap- 
ping Khull Khumm instead. 



HAY 1995 


CC 



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fluid character animation for life-like game playing action! 


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KILL 


You are over o million 
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most terrifying 
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Feel your pulse quicken as 
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dangers, os you fight your way 
through a super realistic, 
3D environment. Explore an 
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a race of horrifying beings 
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If you survive, you will 
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of a lifetime. If you don't, 
may you rest in pieces. 


IF LOOKS COULD 


features these incredible innovations: 


Circle Reader Service ~ 126 


STONEKEEP • STRATECY 


Khuums Tower. The exit is obscured by a magical barrier; break it by casting Spoilspcll 
or Murphys Rune. 


KHULL KHUUM'S TOWER 

The Tower has four levels in addition to the Lair of the Dark Dwarves that you can 
reach from the first level of the tow er. Don’t go straight up the stairs as suggested by the 
gargoyle at the beginning of level one! Most of the lower levels have many illusionary 
walls and buttons that open secret passages; so be extra careful exploring. Before your 
final confrontation with Kluill Khuum, there are a lew' things you must do. 

Recover a scroll with strange markings from the Dark Dwarves. Use these markings 
(ignore spacing, lines, and capitalization) to solve the puzzle behind a loose brick in the 
hallw ay opposite the door that damages Drake when he tries to open it. 

On level one, recover the silver ankli and find the shimmering cross on a wall. There 
arc several places in the tow er where you will find such ghostly markings. You must have 
the corresponding silver item to pass through these walls, to be teleported elsewhere. 

On the next two levels find the remaining three silver items and use them to go 
through any walls that bear shimmering symbols. On the third level you will find a wall 
with all four sym- 
bols. Passing this 
wall takes you to 
the fourth level of 
the tower. 

Kluill Khuum 
is on the fourth 
level, in the very 
center. You must 
step into the cen- 
ter square to meet 
him. You cannot 
kill him; you must 
trap him instead. 

Use the four sil- 
ver items on the " 

plates around the center to trap Khull Khuum and destroy him. 

With the orbs you get from Kluill Khuum, you are ready for the last challenge. I lead 
south through a newly appeared wall with four markings to get to Thera's Temple. 



THESE COLUMNS DONT ADD UP You’ll have to place the correct 
orb on the highlighted pillar to restore the temple and win the game. 
See the table for a description of the orbs. 


THERA'S TEMPLE 

Of the nine pillars in the Temple, only one at a time will be highlighted. You must put 
the correct orb on each pillar to restore the temple. T he orbs represent planets and they 
go on in planetary order, according to the table below'. As soon as you place the last orb 
correctly you will bit the epilogue. Congratulations!*!; 


OrbOfJfstription 


Helion 

gold with red stippling 

Aquila 

golden, healing 

Thera 

Earth 

Azrael 

red, quickness 

Marif 

red and gold swirl 

Afri 

gold with ring, mapping 

Safrinni 

green 

Yoth-Soggoth 

medium blue with horizontal dark blue swirls 

Kor-Soggoth 

blue-gray 





THE UIIZHRDRY 
HDVERTRRE 


TOKES ON ThE 

WORLD 





ADVENTU RE/RPG 


HINTS & TIPS • RIDDLE OF MASTER LU 


Solve The 
Master’s Riddle 


A Speed Learning Course In Ancient Chinese Secrets 

by Arinn Dembo 


I isn’t easy following in the foot- 
steps of a master— especially a 
canny old genius like Master Lai. 
If you’ve run into some obstacles 
while guiding Robert Ripley 
through the twists and turns of 
this game, I’ve got just the clue 
for you. 

Pei-Ping, first visit: Having trou- 
ble getting rid of that pesky peas- 
ant? Tired of seeing the charming snap- 
shot of Ripley’s grave? The key to handling 
this guy is what he does for a living: col- 
lecting salvage metal. The only way to get 
him off your back is to arrange a distrac- 
tion with a valuable piece of metal — say, 
by putting it where he can’t immediately 
reach it. 

Pomerania: b inding the entrance to 
the Barons secret laboratory is difficult, 
unless you’re a real ace. Its in the billiards 
room, naturally— but where? There was a 
clue for you when you opened the drawer 
of the games cabinet— something was 
missing. Bet it’s hanging around here 



somewhere! 

Once you escape from the Baron’s lab, 
of course, there’s still the problem of 
breaking into his tomb. You’re going to 
have to go back to New' York and get 
someone to help you on this caper— 
don’t forget to bring refreshments for the 
trip. 

PUZZLED IN PERU 

I here are three important locations in 
Peru, and you should thoroughly search 
all of them, including the one you’re 
standing in — the Posh Express office. 

Mocha Moche: Here’s your chance to 
get rid of that cursed Emerald; but I’m 
sure you’ve already figured out who you 
can palm it off on. The main challenge 
here is keeping Ripley alive while he 
hangs over the side of the tower, trying to 
recover a gleaming artifact from the skele- 
ton niche. The key to solving this dilem- 
ma is a simple formula: two vines equal 
one rope, so long as Ripley doesn’t have to 
trust his full weight to them. 


Easter Island: It takes an odd combi- 
nation of engineering, navigation and arts 
n’ crafts skills to gel through this part of 
the adventure. Ripley will have to do quite 
a bit of extra leg work. ITerc’re a few' sug- 
gestions to move things along: 

'Ihe first thing to do is get the Watching 
God back on his feet; it’s going to take 
some leverage to accomplish this. 1 he 
fulcrum (base) of your lever is lying on the 
beach. I’m sure you can pul together the 
rest out of simple campsite materials. As 
for the Watching God’s missing eye, it has 
been broken into two parts: the pupil’s 
location is as plain as the nose on your 
face, but the white of the eye has been 
taken from the island. 

Dr. Twelvetrees’ shed is awfully useful. 
Ripley should search Ihe place at least 
once before exploring the quarry, and he 
may find something in there to get him- 
self and Twelvetrees out of a jam. l ie just 
has to be careful not to blow his own horn 
until the trap is set. 

Sikkim: The Temple of the Hidden 








http://www.holobyte.com 

Visit your local retailer or call 24 hours: 1-800-695-GAME (U.S. and Canada). 


TOP GUN™ 4 ©1995 Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved. 
Spectrum HoloByte it an AuthorUed User. Underlying software 
code ©1995 Spectrum HoloByte. Spectrum HoloByte Is a 
registered trademark ot Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. All other 
trademarks are property ol their respective holders. 


Thrill of it 


ADVENTU RE/RPG 


HINTS & TIPS • RIDDLE OF MASTER LU 


Way presents an interesting series of prob- 
lems. The monks here are cryptic, deliber- 
ate creatures; virtually every word spoken, 
both at the gate and at the Temple, has 
two meanings. Of course, you won’t get 
through the gate at all unless you figure 
out how to pass as one of the brothers. 

' I lie mark of the temple is the ring that 
the gatekeeper wears on his forefinger. 
Look through your inventor)'; the Baron 
may have given you more than one key. 

Tlie challenge of the Temple is three- 
fold. TTie gatekeeper has told Ripley that 
five of the Brothers have been given the 
wrong prayer wheels. Ripley must 
rearrange those five prayer wheels until 
each monk has the correct wheel. Io be 
brief, the monks with the incorrect prayer 
wheels arc in cells #4, 116, 119, ll\2, and #15. 

Keep in mind that a monk w ho knows 
a certain prayer does not need the prayer 
wheel for that virtue. It took me some 
time to realize that Ripley was also sup- 
posed to be looking for the Brother who 
had been studying in the Temple longest. 
Why? Well, because Ripley is seeking the 
Midden Way— and, as the gatekeeper 
said, “Only lie who studies longest knows 
the Hidden Way!” The problem of the 
prayer wheels is actually an elaborate 
logic problem, a lest to see w'hcthersup- 


IhEAmozingNaH 


A s mazes go, The Hidden Way isn’t the worst 
you’ll see; at least it contains no deadly sur- 
prises or traps. Since the maze is rectangu- 
lar, consisting of square rooms connected by 
paths of light, the best way to get through it is to create 
an old-fashioned map on graph paper. The Hidden Way is 
11 rooms in length (I would suggest making this a height 
measurement) and nine rooms in width. Counting from 
the top and left, Ripley enters the maze in the fifth room 
of the second column. There are artifacts to be collected 
in the maze: an incense burner in the bottom room of the 
eighth column, and a bone chisel in the ninth room of the 
first column. You can collect these if you wish, but Ripley 
doesn’t need them to solve any puzzles. The exit to the 
maze is in the sixth room of the fifth column. If you have 
absolutely no luck mapping the maze yourself, you can 
try to follow this sequence of directions: it should take 
you to the exit. (R=door to the right side of the screen, 
L=door left side of the screen, U=door top of the 
screen, D=door bottom of screen) 
D-R-D-D-L-D-D-L-D-R-R-U-U-R-D-D-R-U-U-R-R-U-L-L-U- 
L-U-U-L-U-R-U-L-U-L-D-L-U-U-R-R-R-R-D-D-R-R-R-R-D-D- 
D-D-D-D-L-U-U-L-L-U-L (EXIT) 


plicants are intelligent enough to be 
allowed into the Temple. 

Here’s the solution. USL the prayer 
wheel brochure to identify the wheels, 
and give each to the appropriate monk: 

IVIonk #4 

Know's Prayer of Insight 
Has Wheel For Serenity 
Needs Wheel for Wisdom 

IVIonk #6 

Know s Prayer of Wisdom 
Has Wheel for Peace 
Needs Wheel for Serenity 

Monk #9 

Knows Prayer of Truth 
Has Wheel for Insight 
Needs Wheel for Peace 

Monk #12 

Knows Prayer of Peace 
Has Wheel for Truth 
Needs Wheel for Insight 

Monk #15 

Knows Prayer of Serenity 
Has Wheel of Wisdom 
Needs Wheel for Truth 

When all the prayer wheels have been 
pul in place, talk to Monk II 9, the senior 
monk, who can open the Hidden Way. 
The I lidden Way is in cell #14, and con- 
sists of a maze beneath the temple (see 
"I lie Amazing Maze”). 

When you reach the exit from the 
maze (it has a rather complicated ladder 
apparatus instead of four ropes hanging in 
the center) PULL the rope in the upper 
left comer to lower the ladder. Climb the 
ladder into the cupola, look at and sketch 
the copy of Master Lu’s waitings, then 
climb back down the ladder. Finally, at 
the Sikkimese Posh Express Office, send 
the bone chisel and the incense burner to 
Feng Li, and buy a ticket to Pei-Ping. 

Pei-Ping, second trip: Tills episode 
can be frustrating, since Ripley has so little 
control over the unfolding of events. 
There is no way to remove the gun from 
the brazier. Tlie only way to protect Ripley 
from the exploding bullets is to shield 
him— or to use an object shaped like a 
shield. Once our heroes arc no longer in 
danger of imminent death, and Ripley has 


« 


MAY 1996 


his journal back, there’s still the problem 
of recovering the solution to Master Lu’s 
puzzle. Kuang ripped out the vital page of 
Ripleys notes, and there’s no way of get- 
ting it back — or is there? Take another 
look at the journal, and consider that 
Ripley has to press awfully hard to make 
those bold, thick lines when lie’s sketch- 
ing. 

Tlie Emperor’s Tomb: The fanner has 
everything you need to break into the 
tomb; don’t be afraid to ask him for equip- 
ment. Once you're in, the solution to 
Master Lu’s Riddle will become immi- 
nently clear. The last hurdle in the tomb is 
one of the most difficult; a lake of mer- 
cury bars Ripley from the entrance to the 
Emperor’s mausoleum. Keep in mind, 
however, that mercury is much denser 
than water (and thus has a higher surface 
tension), and a somewhat silly solution 
may present itself. I lope you didn’t forget 
anything at the jade door.*fc 

Hf these clues aren't enough to help you 
bag the Seal of the Emperor Shih Huang-di, 
all is not lost. A complete walk-through is 
available on the Net. See “Following in the 
Footsteps of the Master" on CGI/lfs web 



Location Oddities to be Collected 
Pei-Ping 

Rebus Amulet, Silver Butterfly 


Pomerania 

50,000,000-mark note, 
World’s Cheapest Stamp 

Mocha Moche 

Shrunken Head, Wheeled 
Toy, Crystal Skull 

Easter Island 

Whalebone Horn, 
Stick-and-Shell map 

Sikkim 

Bone Chisel, Incense Burner 




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Circle Reader Service tt 234 



PETER OLAFSON • ACTION 



f f Strife 
makes the 
story inte- 
gral to the 
game- 
play. §| 


lie bloom 
came off the 


changed 
forever the 
way gamers 
thought 
about action 
and the IBM, but it also suffered from a 
basic limitation: You went around killing 
people. That was pretty much it. And, five 
years later, that’s still pretty much it. 

Strife, scheduled to be published in 
May by Velocity, takes this evolution 
another step. This 29-level action-adven- 
ture, developed by Rogue Entertainment, 
finally pushes the DOOM 11 engine into 
RPC territory. It has potential, and a first 
look suggests you’ll want to take another. 

The story so far: A comet struck 

Maxis, known for their Sim line of 
games, is jumping into the 
action genre with a 3-D shooter 
that is part Descent and part 
Microcosm. Called The Mindwarp, 
this game starts you in space, 
where you are swallowed by an 
immense organic entity called, 
appropriately enough, The 
Mindwarp. This title will allow full 
360-degree movement, the kind 
that Descent pioneered, although 
it is distinguished from other 
DooM-clones by its organically- 
themed levels (you look like 
you’re flying inside a giant 
esophagous) and by virtue of its 


your home planet. It released a virus;: 
millions perished. Others were not so 
lucky: they mutated, and the mutants, 
responding to the voice 
of an evil Cod in their 
heads, formed a ruling 
class called The Order. 

(Yes, as you’ve probably 
gathered, there’s some 
larger force at work here.) 

Meanwhile, you’re just 
trying to stay alive. If you 
manage that, you’ll even- 
tually find yourself work- 
ing for the resistance SHOOT THE 

movement as a “prob- designed to 
lem-solver.” 

Why do I even bother 
setting the scene? After all, the stories that 
accompany action games are usually inel- 
evant. They take up a couple of pages in 
the manual and an end-of-episode screen, 

adventure-style plot. While inside 
The Mindwarp, you will have to 
find the Dream Fragments, which 
when joined together will unlock 
the secrets of this organic 
leviathan and reveal why it is in 
your corner of space. Fear not, 
though, action fans, for this 
game is, at its heart, an action 
game, so Maxis assures that 
there will be plenty of creatures 
to destroy. The game won’t be 
out until summer, but watch for a 
one-level demo of The Mindwarp 
at Maxis’ website at 
http: //www. maxis, com . 


BREEZE? Strife introduces RPG elements 
make players think first before shooting. 


bill enjoy no real in-game existence. 

CYBERMAGE began to change that, 
and Strife makes the story integral lo the 
gameplay. If you like, you can race 
through the game, shooting, grabbing and 
filling up your inventory. (Nice touch: You 
can drop stuff.) It’s an action game, after 
all, and you can’t be everybody’s friend. 
You’ll especially enjoy wreaking havoc 
with the flame-thrower, which reduces all 
comers to a burning crisp. 

But perhaps you’re better off talking 
and thinking and maybe then shooting. 
After all, there are non-player characters 
to be questioned. Sometimes you’ll get 
the ‘96 equivalent of “Ugh, me tough,” 
But other times you’ll be able to extract a 
useful nugget (after extracting a useful 
nugget from your own purse) — for 
instance, that it’s gunplay that sets off the 
alarms in town. You can even question the 
acolytes you encounter when the game 


MAY 1996 


CC 





ACTION 


PETER OLAFSON 


begins. At least, they’re honest in saying: 
“We’re going to kill you!” And so they arc, 
unless you set about using that little dag- 
ger in your right hand. 

Consider: early in the game, you’ll run 
into a fellow named Harris, who’ll set you 
on a mission. His voice is sly, his forehead 
is high and his eyes don’t quite look in the 
same direction. You wouldn’t buy a used 
personnel carrier from this man. And, sure 
enough, you may discover in the course 
of your mission that Harris is a rat. lake 
the key he offers when you return from 
your sojourn, and you’re setting yourself 
up for a deadly trap in the governor’s 


office. Kill him, as he so richly deserves, 
and you’re on your way to finding the hid- 



3-D action has been commanding 
the attention of action gamers everywhere. Here are some 
cheats to alleviate frustration and mortality. To use these 
cheats, simply type them in while playing. You don’t need 
to type anything to initialize the cheats. But you can try typ- 
ing gabbagabbahey, the old Descent cheat-enabling code, 
for a little surprise. The cheats are not case sensitive and 
will work with the Descent II demo on the CG-ROM. 

Descent II Cheat Codes 

BITTERSWEET— Creates a warping effect on screen. 
ERICAANNE — All weapons bounce off walls and doors, 
though they still do damage to enemies. 

MOTHERLODE— Gives you all weapons and full ammunition. 
CURRYGOAT— Immediately gives you all keys. 

EATANGELOS— All weapons automatically home-in on tar- 
gets. 

JOSHUAAKIRA— Automatically provides you with a complete 
map of the current level. 

WHAMMAZOOM— Warps you to any level. 

ALIFALAFEL— Immediately gives you all accessories. 
ZINGERMANS— Bestows invulnerability. 




MY, WHAT BIG PIXELS YOU HAVE Strife's graphics still need some work, evinced by 
this wounded soldier's Lego-land look. 


You’ll find money along the way (a nod 
to CybkrMacl; here), and can use it to 
buy weapons and annor in shops, and 
treatment at the hospital. You’ll find train- 
ers who will improve your skills, whose 
lessons will ensure that you shoot 
straighter as the game progresses. And you 
have allies. You can’t command them, 
but, in the fashion of the armed “Bobs” of 
Mar-mi ion II, can use their presence to 
good effect. 

'Hie concept of levels has changed as 
w ell. You know' how it usually works: w alk 
in one end, kill everything that gels in 
your w av and w alk out the other. Here, 
they’re not so much levels as pieces of an 
environment that flow into and out of one 
another, which you will cross and re-cross 
through many avenues. (In the demo, the 
town connects with the Order’s sanctuary 
in three separate places.) 

Saving is also handled differently. In 
Doom, you could save anywhere — on 
the cusp of ever)' crisis — and that short- 
ened the life of the game. Mere, you can 
still try' to save anywhere, but SiKII 'i; 
records your progress only if you’ve 
reached certain benchmarks. Unlike the 
Marm I IONS, which used this concept to 
fine, game-lengthening effect, STRII'T. 
handles it invisibly. (After all, having a 
game-saving device on a wall is rather 
unrealistic, isn’t it?) This should at least 
make players more cautious. Dead isn’t 
dead here, but dying invariably means 
you’ll have to replay some portion of the 


game. It’s a good idea; the action game in 
which death isn’t a threat isn’t much of a 
game. 

Not to say that everything was just 
hunky-gory in the teaser. Some wall tiles 
and certain item and character graphics 
were rather muddy and broadly-drawn. 
The designers didn’t seem to have done 
much with spot lighting effects— the 
whole place is lit up like a basketball 
court —or more general ones that might 
reflect the passage of time (a useful tool in 
an RPC). The single saved position per 
character may not sit w ell with DoOMers 
accustomed to saving at every dark cor- 
ner, and w ould seem to invite the player 
to paint himself into comers. Aftcrall, if 
you saved after a crucial mistake, you’ll 
have to restart the game, since recovering 
from your saved point won’t do you any 
good; you already saved after the fact, 
remember? This can be a real problem if 
you’ve played for dozens of hours and are 
suddenly forced to restart the game. 
Playing from the beginning can be frus- 
trating, but this approach definitely makes 
you think, and can lead to more intelli- 
gent gameplay. 

But while I have trouble with some of 
the details, STRIFE looks like a solid game. 
It seems the Doom engines are going to 
be with us for a while yet. The action- 
RPG is here. And the bloom is back on 
the rose. *fc 







Download the 3-level demo at 
http://www.interplay.com 


YOU'RE GOING DO VV 


Introducing Descent II 


10 new weapons, 30 new levels 


Toggle beam floodlights. 


New "guidebot" ally leads you through levels. 
• Toggle beam lloodllghts that turn on and 
olf. • Alterburner that doubles your speed. 


“Sequel of the year!” 

Computer Game Review 


30 new mind-twisting levels • 10 new destructive 
weapons systems including the fully automatic 
Gauss Cannon • Pure 360-degree madness! 


Circle Reader Service #66 









Can you see 
it clearly? 

ting. 


Building The Ultimate Visual System 


With the recent boom in 
multimedia, everybody wants 
brilliant graphics that display 
instantly. But to get the ultimate 
visual quality, you need to build a 
visual system. The best tool to boost your 
computer’s visualization is an add-in board 
called a graphics accelerator that dramatically 
improves graphics through greater resolution, 
color and speed. The result is better overall 
system performance. Applications run faster, 
and shifts between applications and pages 
are quicker. Games, CD-ROMs and spread 
sheets perform better and video playback is 
more vivid. Within the accelerator category, 
a range of solutions are available. 

See more, do more 

Let’s say you have a computer and a 1 5-inch 
monitor that offers 800 X 600 resolution. For 
running applications like Microsoft* Excel, 
Word, and (when no one is looking) some 
games, the best strategy is to find a 64-bit 
accelerator. 


multimedia accelerator with 2MB DRAM. On 
top of improved 2D graphics performance 
(such as a Stealth64 or SpeedStar), a multimedia 
accelerator adds full-screen digital video 
playback, including software MPEG, to your 
visual system. Be sure a multimedia accelerator 
supports your operating systems and includes 
software to customize your desktop with 
features like resolution switching on-the-fly. 
Diamond Multimedia’s Stealth 64 Video 2001 


What Makes A VisualJSystem 


Check the bus 

Make sure the accelerator is compatible with 
your computer’s bus; the pathway connecting 
the new card to the computer's microprocessor. 
If your computer is a Pentium, it probably 
uses a PCI bus. A VL-bus is usually found on a 
486, while older computers are likely to have 
an ISA bus. 64-bit accelerators in this category 
include the Stealth64 Graphics 2000 Series 
(VLB and PCI), and the SpeedStar 64 Series 
(ISA), both between $100 and $150. 


Get started today without a big expense 

To take advantage of applications with video, 
like multimedia encyclopedias, opt for a 


Series incorporates all these features, at a 
starting price of just $150 and includes 
Diamond’s InControl Tools desktop produc- 
tivity software, and supports most operating 
systems, including Windows 95. 

Select the performance level you need 

If you are using more graphically intensive 
programs or are using a larger monitor with 
high resolution, such as 1280 X 1024, you 
should consider a multimedia accelerator with 
faster memory, such as VRAM, for more 
visual horsepower. The more video memory, 
the higher color depth, the greater resolution 
your system can achieve, and the faster your 
screen displays will move. Look at the 
Diamond Stealth64 3000 Series, at a starting 
price of $299. 


What's hot in 
visualization today 

64-Bit Acceleration 

Full-Screen Hardware MPEG Video 

Broadcast Quality Special Effects 

TV on Your PC 

3D Graphics 

Special 3D Effects 

DirectX Support 

Fast Memory (VRAM, MDRAM) 

PCI-Bus 

Plug and Play Installation 
Flicker-Free Refresh Rates, at least 75 Hz 
Color Depth Switching On-the-fly 
Resolution Switching On-the-fly 
Custom Monitor Settings 
Windows’ 95 Support 
Graphical Web Sites 
Award-Winning 3D Games 


Video On My PC 


Some of the hottest computer 
systems today arc those 
equipped with MPEG play- 
back. MPEG technology 
compresses and decom- 
presses digital video and 
audio to deliver full-motion, 
full -screen digital video play- M 
back with realistic clarity, color 
resolution, and sound. Diamond offers a video 
playback board, the Stealth64 Video 2001 
which enables these types of capabilities. 

Video adds a new association 

Using video to educate and train via 
computer allows people to learn through 
actually seeing the lesson, providing detail 
and intimacy that text alone cannot provide. 
In the realm of entertainment, the Internet 
and commercial online services are loaded 
with video clips of favorite actors, musicians 
and politicians. With MPEG, those video clips 
can be viewed at full-screen, full-motion. 

There’s MPEG and then there’s MPEG! 

One point of distinction within MPEG is 
hardware versus software. MPEG software is 
the more common. But for higher resolution, 
higher quality video applications, with 
lip-sync, smooth motion and interactivity, 
as well as maximum playback speed 
(referred to as “frame rate"), hardware 
MPEG is the preferred solution. Because 
hardware MPEG ensures a consistent rate 
of playback at 30 frames per second while 



delivering remarkably clear 

playback of video clips, 

mov ' es > and: games, it can 
offer improved performance 
on older slower systems, 
and add the ability to listen 
to CD-quality MPEG audio. 
Diamond’s MPEG Video Player 
1 100 Series d aught ercard, at $129, 
||l offers the additional performance of 
hardware MPEG technology, with the 
I Stealth64 Video 2001 Series multimedia 
I accelerators. This Stealth product utilizes 
| the Scenic/MX2 MPEG decoder from S3, a 
1 leading supplier of MPEG solutions. 

: I want my PC TV 

; New TV tuner technology takes the mar- 
1 riage of Video and computers even further. 
| This technology allows a broadcast, cable 
| TV, or a VCR signal to be displayed on 
I your monitor, either in a window or lull- 
screen. You can even capture single frame 
or video clips with this new capability. 
Imagine having part Of your screen dedi- 
cated to a stock quote broadcast while 
working on a PowerPoint presentation. 
Imagine putting that image in your 
PowerPoint presentation ! You can get that 
capability with Diamond’s DTV 1100 TV 
tuner, at $ 1 29. It’s another upgrade option 
'or the Stealth64 Video 2001 Series of 
multimedia accelerators. 



S3 Inc., the leader in multi- 
media acceleration for PCs, 
has introduced 3D 
technology to its 
complete line of 
award-winning 2D graphics and 
video accelerators. Called ViRGE, 
this single-chip solution delivers 
for the first time, powerful 3D 
rendering, fast 2D graphics 
acceleration, full-screen digital 
video and optional support for 
hardware MPEG and TV tuner/vide 



Business and Entertainment Graphics Supported by S3’s ViRGE 


capture to the mainstream PC market. The 
flexibility of its design provides for a 
variety of 3D multimedia accelerator 
configurations that improve the 
performance of multiple operating 
systems as well as business, 
professional and entertainment 
| applications. Shaping the 
I future of 3D, the S3 ViRGE can 
be found on the Diamond 
W Stealth 3D 2000 series. Contact 
’ S3 through the Internet at 
http://www.s3.com 


15 NASCAR Racing is officially lie 


1922. 1-800-380-1)030. Sega is a legist 
NASCAR*. •Included in specially mark 
nark elsewhere used under license. All r 


New Dimensions In 3D 

3D technology goes one step beyond 
standard multimedia accelerators and 
brings a completely new experience to 
computing. Multimedia presentations 
incorporating 3D deliver more impact 
than 2D graphics. With 3D accelerators, 
graphics arts, action games, and 3D 
on the Internet are more realistic. 
For gamers, 3D signifies a new level 
of immersion and interactivity. The 
technology allows for crisper graphics 
at resolutions as high as 1024 X 768. 
Better 3D accelerators also support 
the special effects used in the newest 
3D games, including texture mapping 
and perspective correction. Many are 
designed specifically for Windows 95, 
so be sure the one you choose supports 
the new Microsoft DirectX APIs that 
game developers will be supporting. 
Many 3D multimedia accelerators are 
multi-function, and have features like 
real-time 3D and 2D photo-realistic 
graphics, full-screen, full-motion digital 
video and hardware. 

Diamond offers a family of choices in 3D 

Diamond’s EDGE’ 3D multimedia accel- 
erators incorporate all of these features 
and come with Sega Saturn compatible 
control pads*. Starting at $249 for 1MB 
of DRAM, it is bundled with the Sega 
titles: Virtua Fighter" Remix, Panzer 
Dragoon" and NASCAR. Racing from 
Papyrus. Diamond’s Stealth 3D multi- 
media accelerator (available June ‘96) 
delivers high-performance 3D anima- 
tion, fast 2D graphics and digital video 
playback acceleration, providing 
advanced performance for multimedia, 
games and business applications. 
Starting under $249 for a 2MB EDO 
DRAM version, it is bundled with 
professional software (Asymetrix’s 
3D/FX" and Digital Video Producer”) as 
well as cool games (Interplay’s Descent" 
II and Sony’s Destruction Derby"). 

For more information on 
visual systems contact Diamond at 
http://www.diamondmm.com/visad-cgw 



MULTIMEDIA 


A passion for performance. 



telecommuters and 


Integrated Multimedia Communications — Changing The Way We Work 


home-based businesses 


es 

lies in powerful, 


integrated multimedia 


communications systems." 


Rules for the road 

Don't access the Internet at less than 
28,800 bps unless you're ready for a nap. 
The higher your transfer rates, the lower 
your access fees and long distance charges. 
The better the compression technology, 
the faster your transfer rate. 


Communications are not what they used 
to be. Sophisticated communication tools 
were the spoils of big business only. Small 
business struggled using multiple phone 
lines and a desk cluttered with specialized 
devices - out of the office meant out of 
touch. Last year, 9.2 million Americans called 
themselves telecommuters, and today blank 
stares go to those without an e-mail address. 
Advanced communication 
here.. .as long as you know 
how to get connected. 


messages are also available. Now anyone 
can add a full-spectrum digital switch- 
board to their computer. Big business no 
longer has the communication advantage! 



The development of modems that handle 
voicemail and fax means cutting the 
costs associated with additional equipment, 
services, personnel and phone lines. At 
higher speeds, the cost of long distance 
- calls, Internet access fees and time 


The answer for many 
telecommuters and home- 
based businesses lies in 
a powerful, integrated 
communications system. 

A comprehensive product 
delivers complete Internet access, 
file transfer, fax, voice messaging and 
e-mail, as well as transfer rates to 28.8 Kbps 
and beyond. Such a solution can also dis- 
tinguish between incoming fax, data and 
voice calls on the same line. Conveniences 
important to small business such as: remote 
network access, Caller ID, alpha-numeric 
LCD display, and pager notification of 


fir > s P ent on l* ne drop significantly. 

il '£ ■ ■ - Being wired to the broad 

base of the World Wide Web 


provides extraordinary infor- 


mation collection capabilities, 


^ as well as exceptional promo- 
tional opportunities for small 


business. For example, an interactive 
magazine combining text, graphics, sound 
and video can be produced at a reasonable 
price. The Supra Communications Division 
of Diamond Multimedia, Inc. offers all 
these capabilities in the SupraSonic 288V+, 
a fully integrated communications solution 
priced as low as $299. 


Look for features such as headset support, 
Caller ID, and message notification by 
pager, fax or phone. 


Remote access to fax and voice messages 
will help you keep in touch while you're 
out of the office. 

The details count! A solution which 
includes all the cables you need in a single 
package saves you time and money. 


State-Of-The-Art Integrated Modem 






What to do on the Internet 


Promote your business 

Look for a job 

Visit new countries 

Play video games 

Send mail around the world 

Visit the Smithsonian 


Chat with friends in Europe 
Browse libraries 
Listen to new music 
Read encyclopedias online 
Publish your artwork or writing 
Read product reviews 



The SupraSonic 288V+ 


“What does it take to surf the Net, send and receive e-mail, 
and download that Web page everyone is talking about?” 


Jumping On The Internet — Without Falling 


If you're a professional or serious user, you'll 
want the performance and messaging 
capabilities of the SupraSonic 288V+, a 
fax/voice/data modem. Small or home- 
based businesses will find extremely useful 
features like: a headset, an intuitive LCD 
display, Caller ID, fax-on-demand, remote 
access to faxes and voicemail, all necessary 
cables, and a friendly user-familiar interface. 


The Internet is leading' the remote connec- 
tivity charge. But with all the buzz about 
the Internet, many people are still relatively 
confused about what it all means and how 
to take advantage of it properly. Although 
the Internet is growing rapidly due to 
soaring business demand, an estimated 90°/o 
of American homes are yet to be connected. 
Lively discussions about the hottest Web 


designed to work together seamlessly and 
are supported by an established leader in 
communications. To reduce Internet access 
fees and prevent watching your screen 
download a single file for 15 minutes, 
choose a state-of-the-art, high- 
speed, 28.8 Kbps modem. To 
take full advantage of the 
speed, you’ll also want to 



sites, who is the best Internet provider, and 
how to get online without: headaches fill 
the business press as well as popular news 
magazines and even Ladies Home Journal. 
What does it take to surf the Net, send and 
receive e-mail, and download that Web 
page everyone is talking about? One of the 
simplest solutions is to get a comprehen- 
sive Internet kit that offers everything 
needed to get wired quickly and painlessly. 
Now you don’t have to be a technician to 
enjoy this new realm of communication! 


But buyer beware. There are many kits 
available that offer partial or non-integrated 
solutions. For example, some kits contain 
software only. Others provide a lower 
speed 14.4 Kbps modem along with off- 
the-shelf software (or shareware) and an 
Internet book - none of which is specifically 
integrated to work together. A complete 
solution will have you surfing quickly and 
simply because the modem, software, 
Internet service provider and manuals are 


connect with an Internet 
service provider that can be 
accessed at 28.8 Kbps (not all 
of them can). Your provider should 
also have local access numbers in your area 
(so you’re not paying a long distance fee 
each time you call), and enough ports to 
handle a large number of customers (so 
you don’t get a busy signal when you want 
access). You’ll also want to ensure that your 
kit comes with one integrated software 
program that encompasses all the primary 
services the Internet offers: e-mail, the 
World Wide Web, Gopher, USENET and 
FTP. Finally, while it will be simple to hop 
on the Internet with a good kit, make sure 
the included documentation and manuals 
specifically address all the items in the kit. 
All the features required for easy Internet 
access are available in the Supra Simple 
Internet 288. This comprehensive solution, 
over a $300 value, is priced well under 
$200 and includes a CD-ROM tutorial as 
well as an Internet Directory. 



Supra Simple 
Internet 288 


Integration. That's the key to 
finding the right Internet kit. 
Supra Simple Internet makes 
getting on the Internet easy 
with a 28.8 Kbps modem, 
Supra Mosaic software, cus- 
tomized manuals, a CD-ROM 
tutorial, fax software and all cables. 



SupraExpress 288i PnP 


This economical solution offers dependable 
28.8 Kbps communications and the ease of 
plug-and-play installation. Configuration is 
automatic whether you're running Windows’ 
3.1 or Windows 95. Complete Windows 
solution for fax, Internet and file transfer. 


For more information on 
communications contact Supra at 
http://www.supra.com/sonic-cgw 


Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc./Supra 
288V*. Supra Simple .Internet 1 * mill Supra 
trademarks are lira property yf their respet 


1: Slonrmill Drive, Suite 150; Vancouver, WA 'Jntilid. |M0) titM- MOO. SupraSonic" 
rnd Multihiedla/Supra Communications Division. All other tradennirK and reglstcret 
right to change specifications without notice. 


SUPRA COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION 


Circle Reader Service M9 


ACTION 


BEHIND THE SCREENS • APOCEE/3D REALMS 


Duking It Out 

3D Realms Heats Up The Fight For Action Game King 
With Duke Nukem 3D And Three Other New Games 




by Ken Brown 


Warning: This 
article contains 
mature subject 
matter and lan- 
guage. 


F or 40 years, the Corvette was 
the unchallenged king of 
American sports cars. ’I here 
were the “Coals" and the 
I lemis, the Mustang and the 
Zs, hut these brutes couldn’t 
match the Corvettes combi- 
nation of speed, handling and 
sinuous good looks. 'Hie 
Dodge Viper is the first serious 
contender to the Corvette’s throne, crank- 
ing up the competition for premier 
American power trip into a real two-way 
battle. 

But what look 40 years in the auto 
world only lakes three on the PC. Doom's 
reign over 3D-stylc action games has sud- 
denly been challenged by a urinal-kicking 
badass named Duke Nukem. Duke plays 
the star role in 3D Real ms’ new action 
game which has created a big stir on the 
Internet in shareware version with its rich- 
ly detailed environment, challenging 
gameplay and controversial content. 

So, the battle for the hearts and synaps- 
es of action gamers has suddenly turned 
into a real heat. And since id Software is 


already a household 
word for gamers, we 
wanted to get a clos- 
er look at the 
upstarts, who not so 
long ago were merely 
considered “also- 
rans” in 3D gaming, 
but who now, among 
other tilings, drive 
Dodge Vipers. 


r STEP ON IT, DUKE Those “alien bastards” don’t look so bad shrunken 
down to size. And they make a great noise underfoot: Skrunch! 


ID'S IN THERE 

If you’ve down- 
loaded the shareware 
version of 

WOLFF.NSTEIN 3D, DOOM or Dl IKE 
Nukem 3D, you know about “The 
Apogee Model.” The founder of Apogee, 
Scott Miller, invented the idea of selling 
the later episodes of shareware in 1987, 
with a text-based adventure called the 
Kingdom OK KROZ (Zork spelled back- 
wards). It was a huge success, earning up 
to $2000 a week by 1990. At that point 
Miller decided to chuck his day job and 
become a game tycoon. 

In his search for game programmers, 
lie discovered a young designer/pro- 
grammer named John Romero. Miller 
enjoyed Romeros monthly games for 
Softclisk magazine, so he sent fan mail 
to get the programmer’s attention. The 
strategy backfired when Romero, after 
tacking up his fan mail, discovered a 
common return address. I4e fired off a 
healed letter suggesting proctological 
uses of the addressees pen. 

“So I wrote back,” says Miller, “and 
said, “No no no, you’ve got it wrong, I 
want to distribute one of your games. 
And they were interested, but John 
| Romero] wanted some money up 
front. So I said, ‘How much?’ and he 
thought about it and said, ”1 hrcc thou- 


COOL YOUR JETS The freeze ray gun on the space station 
(Episode 2) gives you a chance to stop an alien cold, and then 
shatter him with a single bullet. 


sand dollars.’ So I said, ‘Okay, you got a 
deal.’ It was almost all the money I had — 

I only had $5,000 in the bank." 

It was an exceptional investment. 
Romero and some friends wrote 
Commander Keen, which began raking 
in $1000 a day. Since the programmers’ 
take was 40 percent, they decided to fonn 
a company: id Software. 

In May of 1992, after two Commander 
Keen games, the young idlings (Romero, 
John Carmack, Tom I lall and Adrian 
Carmack) delivered WoKKENS'lEiN 3D. 
Wolf's bloody, first-person action single- 
handedly propelled id and Apogee into 
the big leagues. It was, in the words of id’s 
“Biz Guy,” Jay Wilbur, “A hit the likes the 
shareware world on the PC had never 
seen before. Some people think that the 
shareware version of Wot ,E 3D was the 
most installed piece of softw are in the 
world, period, liven bigger than MS- 
DOS, because, back then, there were sev- 
eral versions of DOS." 

Following the success of Wc )m<N- 
stein, id went on to develop Doom and 
discontinued its partnership with Apogee. 
Miller and company suddenly found 
themselves without a game, a develop- 






comm-RNDO 


The Future Arrives This June 

AcliVisioN 


Available on IUS-D0S 31 iiidowf 85 'E0-1UI. Begin your rampage at HTTP://uiujia.activisiDn.com- 

ADELINE Activiscn is a registered trademark. of Activision, Inc, Adeline Software International and Time Commando are trademarks of Adeline Software 

International. ° 1996 Adeline Sofroare International. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Activision, Inc. 

Circle Reader Service #38 



ACTION 


BEHIMD THE SCREEHS • APOCEE/3D REALMS 





incnt team or an engine, a predicament 
whieli Miller vows will never happen 
again. Scrambling, Apogee licensed the 
WOLEENSTEIN 3D engine from id and 
produced Bi ake Stone, which looked 
and played like a hasty WOLE knock-off. 

'I lie seeds of Apogee’s “copy cat" reputa- 
tion were sprinkled upon BlAKE Stones 
grave. 

Then came Doom. While id basked in 
the glory, Apogee released Risk ok"ii IE 
Triad. ROTT, while not quite Doom, 
had several aspects which elevated it 
above most DoOM-alikcs. It could be 
played over network or modem, allowed 
flight, enabled destmetion of various 
objects, and featured copious amounts of 
blood and gore. These and other features 


fonned a prelude to 
Duke Nukem 3D, 
including flying body 
parts and large 
splotches of bloodied 
wall. 

After ROTf, 

Miller and company 
intensified their 
efforts in 3D-style 
games by creating 
their 3D Realms divi- 
sion. Their first game 
was 1995s Terminal. 
VEKOCriY, a graphi- 
cally appealing shoot- 
ing star which burned 
up soon after entering c; 


► I'M GONNA PULVERIZE TM This alien boss is about to go 
down under a salvo of rocket grenades, courtesy of the 
Pulverizer. 


M odern day ninjas will be able to kick some tail in Shadow Warrior. 

Although this game doesn’t seem as well developed as Blood, 3D 
Realms’ George Broussard says that the enemies will have the 
smartest Al of any game using the Build Engine (which, so far, isn’t 
saying much). The playing mechanics will be slightly different, but you’ll still have 
a variety of weapons to chose from. The most interesting are probably the 
Chinese throwing stars (shirikens), and a nasty napalm spell made by holding the 
severed head of a victim. 

Expect the shareware version sometime around August. 


Ts atmosphere. 
Despite its later release as 
Microsoft's FURV3,TVdid 
little to dispel the notion 
that Apogee’s games still 
weren’t “A" caliber. 

DUKE KICKS DOWN 
THE DOOR 

Then, Duke Nukem 
came to town. Begun in 
late ‘94, Duke uses a pow- 
erful game creation tool 
called the Build engine 
(see Paul Schuytema’s col- 
umn on page 103). It also 
owes some of its design 
and detail to id’s fonner 
Torn Hall. In the rich 
detail and high level of 


3 D Realms upcoming Blood is a kind of Dawn of the Dead in the 18th century. It seems that animal blood 
has been contaminated, turning once docile creatures into mutant zombies. Since every creature is deadly, 
you’ll be rewarded for killing as many of them as possible. Weapons include sticks of dynamite, pitch forks, 
aerosol spray cans, flare guns and, my favorite, the voodoo doll— stick a pin in that puppy, and just watch 
the baddies squirm. 

Blood will rise sometime later this year 


interactivity of DUKE 3D, players not only 
run and fly, but swim. Bullets leave pock 
marks on walls, blood can be tracked in 
footsteps, and large buildings can be 
brought crashing to the ground. (This 
effect even seemed to take id’s John 
Romero by surprise. According to Miller, 
when Romero saw it he was stunned, say- 
ing only, “Oh shit, that’s cool.”) It’s all a 
real treat in 640x480 or 800x600. 

In addition, the character of Duke has 
a distinctive attitude, thanks to audio clips 
triggered throughout the game. Crabbing 
a shotgun, Duke says, "Groovy.” Picking 
up the rocket launcher, “Who wants 
some?” Vaporize three pig-faced LAPD 
guards with a well-placed RPC, and 
Duke blurts, “Holy shit!” 

In addition to an occasional expletive, 
Apogee decided to introduce more 
mature content into a computer 
1 game. So, the nightclub scene in the 
! shareware version has dancing strip- 
j pers expose their breasts. Though 
j Duke’s ability to shoot them sustains 
j the game’s atmosphere, it is sure to 
I remain controversial, 
i There is even i norc sexual coi i- 

! tent in Episodes 2 and 3. Women 
i have been abducted for use as 
j Aliens - style hosts and are found tied 
! and dangling in positions suggestive 
! of erotic bondage. It’s enough to 
i make you wonder who they made 
j this game for— adults? 

! “We got tired of making games for 
! 12-year-olds,” explains Apogee’s pres- 




cc 


HAY 1996 




Remember those G-Force carnival rides that whirled so violently someone’s little 
brother inevitably spewed? And that movie where the girl’s head spun totally around? 

Kid Stuff. Because in Battle Arena Toshinden, your PC now hurls abuse at you from 
all angles, all at once, for as long as you can take it. A 3-D thrashathon reeling off the 
coolest graphics, nastiest street-fighting moves and sexiest characters this side of the 
4th dimension, Battle Arena Toshinden puts a whole new spin on gaming. And a whole 
new warp on your perspective. Because here, the most brutal torture of all isn’t getting 
clubbed, slammed or bludgeoned. It’s walking away from the next fight. 


PC CD-ROM 


■•iim hup 


http://www.playmatestoys.com 

Illustration: Tsukasa Kotobuki 

Battle Arena Toshinden and its characters are trademarks of Takara Co., Ltd. 
©Takara Co., Ltd. 1996. All rights reserved 
MS-DOS version reprogrammed by Digital Dialect. © 1996 Digital Dialect. 
All rights reserved. 

Circle Reader Service if 282 


\C ell,. 




IUOO Trojan Way 
La Mirada. CA 906)1 
(714) 562-1743 




ACTION 


BEHIND THE SCREENS • APOCEE/3D REALMS 


idcnt Miller. "When 1 go see ;i movie, 
most of the movies I’m interested in are R 
rated. 1 don’t want to see a PG-ratcd 


movie, so why should we make PC-rated 
games?” 

Whats interesting is that sexual 
imager)’ is a recent 



addition in Duke’s 
development.'! he 


T his is the game that 3D Realms claims will "do to Quake what Duke 
Nukem 3D did to Doom.” Strong stuff, but at this point it’s difficult to 
tell if Prey is up to the challenge. The game’s engine allows for a true 
3D environment and texture-mapped polygonal characters (sound 
familiar?). Special lighting effects allow soft edges and additive illumination, but 
much of the art and gameplay mechanics have yet to be implemented. 

Prey will offer an innovative multi-player option. In addition to modem and 
network play, 3D Realms says you’ll be able to play it on the Internet. Upon exit- 
ing a level in multi-player, you can advance to a virtual environment located on a 
Web server, where your character can hang out with other players, stock up on 
health or weapons, even discuss strategies. When you're through, pick the portal 
you'd like to go to next. Designer Tom Hall believes that Prey “will do what the 
other services have really failed to do— provide a real online virtual community.” 


game was in devel- 
opment over a year 
before the compa- 
ny got the idea. 
Level designer 
Wchard Gray pro- 
posed adding a top- 
less woman some- 
where in the game. 
The team liked the 
concept enough to 



“flesh it out." “We 
asked ourselves: 
‘How can we get 
sexual content into 
this game?’” says 
3D Realms presi- 
dent George 


Broussard. Broussard and Miller say the 
response to Duke’s sexual content has 
been so overwhelming, they’re even con- 
sidering an X-rated commercial version. 
Miller quickly adds, “We don’t care if 
Walmart bans it. Other places will carry it, 
and well say ‘Banned In Walmart’ right 
on the ads.” 

GONNA RIP 'EM A NEW ONE 

Of course, the real chann in any net- 
workable action game is a healthy arsenal 
with which to dismember friends. In addi- 
tion to the 9mm semi-automatic, double- 
barreled shotgun, chaingun cannon, and 
rocket-propelled grenade launcher, there 
are pipe bombs which can be thrown and 
detonated by remote control. Shareware 
players already know' how fun it is to drop 
a pipe bomb near a “Holodukc" decoy 
and set the thing off w'hen an opponent 
draws near. 

four new weapons appear in the regis- 
tered version. After blasting off in the last 





BEHIND THE SCREENS • APOCEE/3D REALMS 



level of llic shareware version, Duke finds 
himself on a spaceship orbiting Earth, 
llic aliens on the ship are packing chain- 
gun cannons, so it will lake some new 
goodies to waste ‘cm. 'llic shrink ray 
weapon casts a potent orb that reduces 
enemies to an ideal size for crushing 


underfoot. The 
freeze ray immobi- 
lizes enemies long 
enough to squeeze 
off a bullet or kick 
them, shattering the 
aliens in a glittering 
17-style display. For 
more traditional fare, 
the Pulverizer fires 
exploding rockets, 
and trip mines can 
be stuck on walls to 
detonate whenever 
their beams are bro- 
ken. 

IS TEXAS BIG ENOUGH 
FOR BOTH OF THEM? 

Duke’s rise to glory has led a lot of peo- 
ple to speculate about a rivalry between 
Apogee/3D Realms and id. Some cite the 
Doom marine’s severed torso in Duke 
NUKEM as evidence that 3D Realms is out 


for blood, lliere arc even heated mes- 
sages on the Internet with headers like “id 
Is In Fear Of DUKE NUKEM.” 

Sources at both companies insist there 
is no enmity. Then they’ll proceed to tell 
you how much belter they are than the 
other. Says 3D Realms president George 
Broussard, "llicres no rivalry between us. 
We think id’s great, as long as they under- 
stand their place.” 

Id doesn’t seem too concerned. Biz 
guy Wilbur comments, “Imitation is a 
serious form of flattery. We’ve flattered 
each other often through the years. Duke 
seems pretty cool, but we tend to set ll ic 
mark not just for Apogee, but for the 
industry. We’re generally a couple of years 
out in front of everyone.” 

Will the Corvette fall to the the Viper 
challenge? We’ll have to see. In the mean- 
time, the guys at id don’t seem to be con- 
cerned. They’re driving Ferraris.% 



SID MEIER'S 

OVIIJZfflONLL 

THE ULTIMATE VERSION OF 
THE BEST-SELLING STRATEGY GAME. 



Great; minds everywhere agree. Civilization has undergone 
a dramatic transformation. Introducing Sid Meier’s 
Civilization "' I I. Build an empire to span 
history. But this time, have even more 
fun doing it ! Create new Wonders of 
(lie World like Leonardo da Vine 
Workshop and Sun Tzu’s War 
Academy. Encounter new tribes like 
the Celts, Japanese, Vikings and 
Sioux. It's new technology. New city 
improvements. And new SVGA 
So, if you were challcn< 

Sid Meier’s Civilization f you be 
carefully. Because in this game, it’s survival of the fittest. 


; original 
vour even - move 




For 1BM*-PC & Compatibles on CD-ROM. 

1-80G-879-PLAY. http://wwv.inicroprose.com 

<01996 Miernl’rnse Software, Inc. All rights reserved. 
Circle Reader Service #123 


ACTION 



ACTION 



REVIEW • ROAD WARRIOR 

| Mwaii: 

I 


Road Kill 


Duel To The Death In A Crazed Cabbie’s Dream Come True 



Price: $39.95 
System Requirements: 
IBM compatible 486-33 
or better, 8 MB RAM, 
SVGA graphics, 2x CD- 
ROM drive, mouse; 
supports Sound Blaster 
compatible sound cards 
ft of players: 1 
Protection: None (CD 
must be in drive) 
Designer: Rod Humbel 
Publisher: Gametek 
Aventura, FL 
(800) GAMETEK 
Reader Service It: 325 



by Mark Clarkson 

or years, your only dream was 
to get the hell out of Kemo 
City, the giant, brutal metrop- 
olis-tumed-prison maintained 
by the faceless Omnicorp. 

You were a cabbie, driving a 
hovercab, and in between 
your job and sleepless nights 
in the backseat, you’d man- 
aged to run down more than 
your fair share of crazed psychos, gun-tot- 
ting lunatics, and “innocent” pedestrians. 

It made you a perfect recniit when a 
member of the guerilla underground 
came looking for a hitman to take down 
the Omnicorp. It w ; as a crazy idea, but, 
hey, the Omnicorp started the craziness 
when they began pumping the city’s water 
supply full of psychosis-inducing hydro- 
gene, right? 

In no time at all, you’d smashed the 
administration center, killed all the scien- 
tists, blow'll up the hydrogene factory and 
the TV station, and with the right combi- 
nation of guts, guns and secret passwords, 
finally escaped from Kemo City...only to 
find nothing beyond the city walls but 
sand, sand, and more sand. Blinded and 


parched, you crash 
your hovercab into a 
boulder and are soon 
found by a band of 
bandy-toothed 
mutant thugs who 
want you to partici- 
pate in something 
violently dubbed the 
Killduel. Seems 
you’ve only escaped 
from the hying pan 
into the fire. 

WELCOME BACK 

Road Warrior is a new first-person 
shooter from Gametek, the sequel to last 
year’s violently daffy QUARAN’IINIC. Think 
of it as Doom from a car. Once again, 
you are Drake Edgewatcr, mercenary 
cabbie, and you sec the w'orld from 
behind the wheel of your Checker hover- 
cab. If QUARANTINE was trying to evoke 
the look and feel of Escape from New 
York, then Road Warrior is trying to 
evoke the look and feel oLwell, The Road 
Warrior. You’re a lone, macho dude, cmis- 
ing through a post-apocalyptic desert in a 


hot car. 

Although your ride is a taxi, it’s anned 
to the teeth. When the bad guys get in 
your way, you can hose them down with 
hot lead from your roof-mounted chain 
gun, or chuck exploding “Blackjack” 
mines at them out the back end. It some- 
times helps to crash into your victims 
once or twice to disorient them. That way 
they’ll hold still longer, giving you time to 
aim and let loose a few missiles, or a few 
hundred rounds of amior-piercing ammo. 

Road Warrior’s plot is advanced with 
a nicely done comic book which rolls 
between levels. After you finish off one 
level, you charge across the desert, dodg- 
ing tanks, missile-spewing dune buggies, 
falling rocks and tumbleweeds on your 
way to the next city, town, aiqiort or rebel 
base. 

Tilings are bad all over and it won’t sur- 
prise you one bit to find that Omnicorp is 
behind most of it. Even in the verdant 
Mutton Valley, tilings are amiss. Here, the 
roads are clogged with giant squash, 
mutant crack-smoking pigs run amuck in 
the fields, and babies are being bom with 
two row's of teeth and amis growing right 
out of their backs. 

YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU 
CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT 

Road Warrior is much more mission- 
oriented than its predecessor. In 




cc 


HAY 1996 






m 


mmm 


19961 


H|M5,Ml)NTHLV 

Mfiffi :199b 


»c. All rights 



ACTION 


REVIEW • ROAD WARRIOR 


Qi jarantine, you spent the majority of 
your time and energy taxiing passengers 
from location to location, collecting fares 
so you could pay for repairs, weapons and 
ammo. 

In ROAD Warrior, performing mis- 
sions for the underground is pretty much 
all you do. You’ll track down and kill 
lawyers, blow' up trains, run over joggers, 
shoot down crop (lusters, put out fires 
with water balloons, and herd mutant pigs 
back into their pens. 

Your missions usually operate under a 
time constraint. If you take too long to 
complete the objective, you fail and arc 
doomed to repeat that mission again and 
again until you finally gel it right. As you 
tick off missions, you’ll progress through 
Omnicorp-eontrollcd cities, rebel bases, a 
twisted Disneyland knock-off (home of 
Stickey Mouse) and, eventually, back to 
Kemo City. 


WHAT'S NEW, MUTANT CAT 

In Quarantine, you chose and pur- 
chased your own weaponry out of your 
hard-earned fare money, and it was your 
responsibility to keep it full of ammo. By 
contrast, you begin each mission in Road 
Warrior Hilly repaired and automatically 
equipped with whatever weaponry is 
deemed necessary to complete the objec- 
tive. One mission you’ve got missiles and 



k 

Y 

PP 



T he secret to getting about quickly in Road 
Warrior is to regard roads as “suggestions" 
rather than imperatives. Roaring through the 
undergrowth doesn’t slow you down anywhere 
near as badly as it did in Quarantine. If you don’t run into a 
wall or fence or building, you can rock along off-road about 
as quickly as you can on the road. ..and there’s a lot less 
traffic. With the power grid eliminated, you no longer have 
to worry about running your batteries down every time you 
take to the fields. 

This strategy isn’t perfect; if you get too far off the beat- 
en path, you can find yourself trapped in a box canyon, or 
between solid rows of buildings. Still, in general, you’ll make 
better time and can complete the between-level runs 
through the desert with virtually no combat or damage. To 
prevent getting lost, try driving directly adjacent to the road: 
on the sidewalk, shoulder, or what have you. When you are 
driving on the road, resist the temptation to go too quickly. 
Otherwise, you’ll waste a lot of time by missing turns and 
slamming into buildings. 



■►THIS RULES "Hey Beavis, watch me blow the doors of that big stupid truck.” “Yeah 
I yeah, that driver’s a wuss! I bet he doesn’t, like, have a penis. Huh huh.” 


toqacdocs, and the next you've got noth- 
ing but retractable spikes on the front 
bumper or a gun that shoots water-filled 
condoms. 

In Quarantine, there was a grid of 
power broadcast posts and if you left the 
grid, your batteries began to run down. In 
Road WARRIOR, energy is not a consider- 
ation. You start every mission with your 
battery fully charged, and it never drains, 
no matter where you drive. 

In addition to the view through your 
four windows, Road WARRIOR allows you 
to see things from your enemy’s point of 
view, as well as from above and behind 
your cab. The latter comes in especially 
handy when your view’ is blocked by the 
giant mutant pig impaled on your bumper 
spikes (don’t ask.) 

The graphics arc improved from 
Quarantine, offering a wade-aspect ratio 
SVGA mode, and the music is still a cut 
above average, featuring an eclectic mix 
of punk rock and hillbilly swing. But, 
despite being quite explicit in some w’ays, 
ROAD Warrior isn’t big on realism, it 
doesn’t feel very much like you’re driving 
a vehicle (although, I can’t say I know’ 
what driving a hovercab feels like). 

The levels feel really big, but the envi- 
ronment isn’t very interactive: glass does- 
n’t shatter, exploding vehicles leave no 
debris, and so forth. You can blow through 
trees like so many puffs ol smoke, but 
bounce off of a tent. Most fences will stop 
you as dead as a concrete wall, while you 


can nm through others with nary a bump 
or scratch. For some unexplained reason, 
every pedestrian on the receiving end of 
your punishment looks like they’re wear- 
ing a softball uniform, whether you’re run- 
ning them over in the alley ways of Flagg 
City or impaling them on your bumper 
spikes in the cornfields of Mutton 
County. 

GameTek took many of my favorite 
elements— looking for fares, managing 
money, deciding what weapons load to 
take— out of the game. Also, you can no 
longer change tracks on the CD, or plug 
in your own music CD and jam to Nine 
Inch Nails while running down giant 
mutant pigs. Still, if you liked 
Quarantine, you’ll probably get a kick 
out of Road Warrior. Like its predeces- 
sor, Road Warrior is juvenile, low-brow- 
and wacky, chock full of blood, severed 
limbs and toilet humor. But how can you 
not like a game that includes cow tipping?% 

►APPEAL: Anyone who likes 
Quarantine and Beavis & Butthead. 

►PROS: This game will make you 
laugh with its juvenile humor, and it 
boasts really big, detailed levels. 

►CONS: The humor is profane, and 
many of 

Quarantine’s finer 
elements— those 
that made you 
think about 
weapons and 
money manage- 
ment— are gone. 





cc 


MAY 1996 





mmimh fam 
IjS/iiilil'iJjivfyra 
piiy/JsISi/M 


TSK£TO£CHSII£J«« 

:ii'jv/yyyr:iilbjjluy|fl 
pluya/3 by j|yiv/or!<. 


slate-of-lhe-art 3D eri 


. and fight for your life as you 
igzolayers via modem or up to 8 
\lso, start your own ninja clan and 


Supports 


Coming Soon 

For more details, ask your local software retailer. 

Developed by 3D Realms Entertainment. All rights reserved. Distributed by FormGen. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

WWW Site (http://www.3drealms.com) CIS (Keyword REALMS) AOL (Go 3D REALMS) 
Software Creations Web BBS (http://www.swcbbs.com) 

Circle Reader Service #43 


INCORPORATED 


REALITY 





ACTION 


REVIEW • PINBALL WORLD • HYPER 3-D PINBALL 




ij> 



9 


Price: $49.95 
System Requirements: 

PC 386-33, 40 MHz, 
DOS 5.0 or higher, 55K 
free conventional mem- 
ory, 4 MB EMS, CD- 
ROM drive, 51 2K VGA 
card; supports most 
major sound cards. 
ft of Players: 1 
Protection: (CD must 
be in drive) 
Designer: SpiderSoft 
Publisher: 21 Century 
Entertainment, Inc. 
Webster, NY 14580 
(716) 872-1200 
Reader Service it: 326 




Paddle To 
Paddle 


Hyper 3-D Pinball Racks Up A High Score, While Pinball World Goes 
Down The Chute 




by Arinn Dembo 


Y ou may have noticed a 

flood of new pinball com- 
puter games. Digital pin- 
ball is becoming more 
interesting and more 
refined, developing into a 
peculiar little sub-genre of 
its own. Buy ail)- recent 
title and you can try new 
innovations such as cam- 
paign games, strategy elements, event ani- 
mations, warping from table to table, and 
all sorts of other stuff, most of whicl i isn’t 
possible on real pinball machines. 

The primary audience for digital pin- 
ball are people who love the machines of 
old. These fans have certain standards 
which arc rarely met by computerized 
simulations. Even in the best pinball 
games, there’s usually something that 
keeps the experience from being less than 
perfect: you can't jolt or “grunch" the 


table, or control the launch of the 
ball, and the control keys are 
often awkward. Suffice it to say 
that the search for the perfect 
pinball game continues. 

Two new contenders, each try- 
ing to pull the proverbial sword 
from the stone, arc: HYI’LR 3D 
Pinball, by Virgin Interactive, 
and Pinball World, by 
Spidcrsoft and released by 21st 
Century Entertainment. Other 
than the word “pinball” in the 
title, these two games have noth- 
ing in common, yet both have 
something to offer digital wizards. 


l ON TOUR Players advance through Pinball 
eling through places like the UK, Germany 


Pi n ba l l Wo r l d: 

VOLUME, VOLUME, 

VOLUME 

First, lets talk quantity. PlNBALL 
WORLD is a “low-rent” pinball that touts 
its w orld travel motif. 
'Hie player warps 
through tables with 
themes like United 
Kingdom, Gennany, 

I lollywood, etc. It has 
lots of gameplay, with 
nine main tables, anoth- 
er 10-plus bonus tables, 
and five or six sub-games 
connecting the tables. 
For example, the 
Hollywood table has a 
Las Vegas bonus table 
attached, and there’s a 
World by trav- “Baja roadrace” sub- 
and Hollywood, game that gets you from 

the Hollywood table to 


JUNGLE FEVER Pinball World breaks the rules of 
pinball design, but the environment isn’t very rich 
in targets or excitement. 


the South America table below it. 

Is there a problem here? Well, yes and 
no; it really depends on what you want. 
The tables in PlNBALL WORLD, although 
plentiful, are not satisfying to an experi- 
enced pinball player. The arrangement of 
paddles and drains is unconventional, 
which could be a plus, except the environ- 
ment isn’t very rich in targets or excite- 
ment. There's not much need for 
advanced pinball skills like catches, pass- 
ing or aimed shots, and saving the ball is 
simple, while losing it is dcprcssingly anti- 
climactic. A lost ball goes into a “ball trap” 
that automatically kicks the ball back into 
play. The ball traps have a limited number 
of saves, so you don’t actually "lose” a ball 
until the trap is down to zero. 

Tire features a true afficianado wants to 


cc 


NAY 1996 




mmSm 

wr 

ZAK’S BACK AND HE’S OUT FOR 


BLOOD! Get released from cryonic 
hibernation by rebel forces and put 
your super-human abilities to the 
ultimate test. Uncover a world of 
mystery, intrigue and danger! With 
high performance graphics and 
game play, a ripping sound track and 
two CD’s loaded with the hottest 
action on the shelf, Cyberia 2 sets a 
j new standard for all-out action! 


Surf Cyberia 2 @ 
http://www.xatrix.com 



l ;< M 

£ NEW WORLDS TO CONQUER J 

2038 Armacost Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 
Cyberia 2 '" Resunectlon is a trademark of Xatrix Entertainment, Inc. 
©1996 Xatrix Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. 



Circle Reader Service # 299 





REVIEW • PINBALL WORLD • HYPER 3-D PINBALL 



Price: S39.99 
System Requirements: 
486DX-33, 8 MB RAM, 3 
MB hard disk space, 
SVGA video card with 
1 MB RAM, DOS 5.0 or 
higher, 2x CD-ROM drive, 
MSCDEX 2.2 or higher, 
sound card with FM and 
PCM sound, launchable 
from Win 95. 
ff of Players: 1 to 4 
Protection: (CD must be 
in drive) 

Designer: NMS Software, 
LTD. 

Publisher: Virgin 
Interactive Entertainment 
18061 Fitch Avenue 
Irvine, CA 92714-9841 
(800) 874-4607, (714) 
833-8710 
Reader Service ft: 327 




►APPEAL: Casual action gamers who 
don’t care about traditional pinball 
design. 

►PROS: Lots of tables and gameplay 
►CONS: Primitive 
graphics, cranky 
program, low 
excitement level. 

People who love 
the real thing prob- 
ably won’t enjoy 
this game. 


sec in a pinball simulation— full-table 
view; jolting the table in two or three 
directions; controlling the ball launch; a 
good mix of targets; and multiball play- 
are not here. Forget about controlled 
launch; in PlNBALL, WORLD you don’t gel 
to launch the ball. It just appears in the 
middle of the tabic and starts falling. I lie 
screen scrolls around the tables, each of 
which has a maximum of 10 or II shots to 
make, not counting combinations. There's 
no multiball play, and you get only one 
key with which to jolt, then, ridiculously, 
the computer decides how to jolt the 
tabic. 

Instead of the standard pleasures of real 
pinball, what you get arc odd little bonus 
games, where you use an awkward inter- 
face to direct cars, boats, submarines or 
wagons through a maze in order to warp 
to another table. It’s OK, but hardly com- 
pensates for what’s missing. 

I had some technical problems with 
Pinball World. 'Ilic game was too 
cranky to run with the older of my two 
SVCA cards. And despite the implemen- 



tation of the enclosed patch, 
the bottom half of the screen 
still flickered on my 486x66 
machine with an older video 
card. Ilic graphics arc fairly 
primitive, but still serviceable. 
r | he sound and music arc 
acceptable. 'Ilic modeling of 
the ball isn’t terrible, but I’ve 
seen better. 

Although Pinball World 
gives you 20 tables, while more 
extravagant pinball games usu- 
ally offer only four or 
five, in overall 
appearance this ’ 
game just can’t 
compete with the 
more sophisticated 
titles. So, unless 
you’ve exhausted 
the other options, 
you might want to 
pass on it. 

Hyp er 3D Pi n ba l l: 

THE CREAM OF THE 
CROP 

Did I say that the search for 
the perfect pinball simulator 
was still going? I lied. It’s loaded 
onto my hard drive now, where 
it will probably remain. Of 
course, it’s too early to say that 
no one could do belter, but to 
this point, HYPER 3-D PtNBAL.1 , : 
is the best pinball simulator I’ve ; 
seen. 

I’d like to 



W hat? You say you’re playing pinball 
with two shift keys and the space- 
bar to control the action? Say no 
more! ThrustMaster has developed 
a controller that simulates the position of the pad- 
dle buttons, and allows you to slap, shake and 
otherwise molest the table to your advantage. 

The ThrustMaster Wizzard controller has two 
pear-shaped widgets, that are fitted on either side 
of your keyboard. The narrow end of the widget 
is the paddle control button; the larger end is a 
motion sensor that 
III detects forward-and- 
back and side-to-side 
motion, allowing the 
player to shake and 
tilt the virtual table. 

The controller 
attaches to the 
15-pin game port 
of any computer. 
However, I had some 
trouble with the calibration program. The 
paddle buttons worked fine, and three of the four 
directional sensors were responsive, but the side- 
to-side motion on the right paddle was consis- 
tantly unresponsive. Thrustmaster would have 
been wise to give players the option of setting the 
paddles to control only the flippers or the tilt 
mechanism, and save only the axis of motion it 
could consistantly detect. 

I was unable to use the controller with its 
included game, although I greatly admired the 
table. It is a perfect simulation of the old Gottlieb 
& Co. Royal Flush machine, a beautiful table that 
must be well over 20 years old. However, I had 
no trouble using the controller with Hyper 3-D 
Pinball game which has its own calibration pro- 
gram. The flippers and tilt mechanism worked like 
a charm, and I even lost the ball a couple of 
times. ThrustMaster Wizzard Pinball Controller, 
$39.95; (503) 639-3200 



find fault 
with this 

game, but I can’t. 
Hyper 3-D Pinball has 
six beautiful tables, 
totaling 50 percent 
more gameplay than 
most other pinball sim- 
ulators. 'Hie tables arc 
not only beautiful, they 
arc target-rich, with an 
excellent selection of 


over targets. And the table themes arc 
very cool: Frankenstein’s Monster, 
Roadking USA, Gangster, and exception- 
al sci-fi, sword n’ sorcery and circus 
themes. You gel multiball and 3-D event 
animations when locking the ball and 
making various shots. All very cool stuff 
that also is nicely unobtrusive, since the 
game is smart enough not to run them 
every time you make a shot— after the 


^ YOU'VE GOT THE LOOK Hyper 3-D Pinball is as realistic as challenges, skill shots, 

I virtual gets, and the table themes are tres cool. '°°P S anc * mm P s > ( ' I() P 

■ holes, bumpers and roll- 


first time, play goes on uninterrupted. 

Ilic greatest thing about this game, is 
its versatility and freedom. You can control 


cc 


HAY 1996 




ACTION 


REVIEW • PINBALL WORLD • HYPER 3-D PINBALL 



the game with the keyboard or use the 
newThrustMaster Wizzard Controllers 
for paddles (the game has its own calibra- 
tion sub-routine for the paddles, making 
installation simple). You get three keys 
with which to jolt, you control the launch 
of the ball, and you have certain available 
skill shots on all six tables. I personally dis- 
like scrolling screens in pinball simulators, 
but some players may prefer it; and just in 


case they do, Hypf.R 3-D PtNBAl .1 . offers 
three views of the table. I here’s a 3-D 
scrolling playfield, a 2-D planvicw, or my 
favorite, the 3-D full-screen view, which 
displays the whole table while still provid- 
ing some 3-D effects on the ramps. You 
can easily adjust sound, music, and the 
contrast of the graphics. And you can play 
with 1-4 players. Who could ask for more? 

Well, if you’re a really ungrateful sod, 
you could also ask for a complete and 
informative manual for the game— and 
you’d get one. Complete with a step-by- 
step discussion of the targets and chal- 
lenges on each table, the manual also 
provides some tips for improving your 
game. If you know your pinball tables and 
you’re looking for a simulator that isn’t a 
disappointment, HYPER 3-D PlNBAl.t.isa 
good bet. 

There is one possible down-side. 

Hyper 3-D PlNBAU.does not really tran- 
scend the capabilities of a genuine pinball 
machine, nor does it incorporate ele- 


ments of strategy or table-warping, both 
of which are nice features that I’ve 
enjoyed in other games. The otherwise 
cool animations, are really just window 
dressing for standard shot-making and 
challenges. It’s very well done, but it’s still 
pinball, with no other goal than racking 
up the highest possible score before you 
lose your last ball. If you need more than 
that, then even the cream of the crop 
probably won’t do. % 


►APPEAL: Real pinball players, 
arcade game fans and anybody who 
appreciates a highly polished action 
game on the PC. 

►PROS: Everything is done right; this 
is the best pinball simulator on the 
market. 

►CONS: No table- 
warping, sub- 
games or strategy 
elements. This is 
for the pinball 
purist. 




Originally developed for 
military air combat simulators, 
the ThunderSeat uses the 
sound output from your 
favorite sound card to 
generate realistic, vibratory 
sensations. You’ll not only see 
and hear but FE ELyour 
simulations literally reach out 
and touch you- though 
“shake, rattle and roll’’ more 
accurately describes what 
you’ll feel in a ThunderSeat! 
Prices starting at $159.99 


17835 Sky Park Circle • Suite C 

Irvine, CA 92714-6106 

714 •851-1230 FAX: 714*851-1185 


Circle Reader Service #121 







m I ’ i ' , : 

- 


For the first time, 
the spectacular DOOM™ 
engine fused with an 
all-consuming interactive 
multi-player adventure that 
will be the most dangerous 
role you’ll ever play. 


Trust no one 


Check it out at http://wvm.velocitygaraes.com or call 1-800-VLOCITY. 

©1996 Velocity.™ All Rights Reserved. Velocity and Strife are trademarks of Velocity, inc. boONT is a trademark of Id Software, Inc. 

Circle Render Service H80 i ■ 




SANCTUARY 

WOODS 


A GRAPHIC ADVENTURE 

A SAUCV, SUPER-SIZED MEAL COMBO WITH ALL THE FIXIN'S 


Available for PC and Macintosh. 

Call 800/943-3664 for more 

information, or visit us online at http://www.sanctuary.com to order up an out-of-this-world demo CD. 


TERRY COLEHAN • CLASSICS fa PUZZLES 



Maurice Ashley Opens Up The Game Of Kings, 
While Virtual Chess Slams The Door Shut 


C 


liess is an 
odd game. 
It has no 
luck, other 
than per- 
haps your 
opponent 
missing an 
obvious 


isn’t really a sport, but Bobby Fischer used 
to train for big matches at Crossingcr’s, 
the same gym Ali used to prepare for 
heavyweight bouts. Chess has been called 
the ultimate tactical game, yet it has 
strategies so subtle that a human can still 
beat a computer calculating billions of 
potential moves ahead. Chess is some- 
what of an art form, a symphony, even a 
religion. What it has rarely been is enter- 
taining. With the exception of the Fischer- 
Spassky and Kasparov-Karpov matches, 
most people couldn’t name two wodd- 
class chess masters if they ran into them 
on the street. 


CHESS MADE EASY 

'filings might be changing, however. 
'I lie best teaching tool for chess has 
always been the CHESSMASTER series 


from Mindscape, with its powerful stable 
of opponents and chess problems. BOBBY 
Fischer 'Peaches Chess gets brownie 
points for bringing a sense of bin to the 
part}' but its chess engine is really pretty 
weak. Neither of these programs, good as 
they are, can really prepare you for 
Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess. 

Maurice Ashley is not only the first 
African-American International chess 
master, he is also a fabulous coach, whose 
two teams win top honors constantly in 
the National Junior High Team Chess 
Championship. Having lost in the state 
team finals twice, trust me: it’s a tremen- 
dous achievement to get there, much less 
win the nationals year after year. 

Ashley inspires his charges to treat 
chess like any other sports competition, 
complete with slam dunks. The CD treats 
you to the master’s style of coaching with 
video, audio and chess diagrams inter- 
spersed with animated illustrations of 
technique. These aren’t just the typical 
“Rook to G-7’ moves, either. Pawns 
become Ninja Assassins, while Rooks on 
open files are depicted as charging rhinos. 
To promote a Pawn to a Queen, you are 
instructed to move supporting pieces to 
cover the 8th rank, like a lineman in foot- 


►According to Mindscape, 
Chessmaster 5000 will be able to 
import and analyze data from 
Bookup (see above), making it a 
much more attractive product for 
serious chess-meisters. 

►Chess Mentor from Aficianado, 
Inc. has a lot of chess talent 
behind it, including four 
International Masters and the 
designer of Kasparov’s Gambit, 
Ralph Nagel. It tries to be so 


non-threatening, however, that it 
misses the point: any chess 
teaching program, no matter how 
good, can only benefit by letting 
you use what you’ve learned 
against the computer. Having a 
chess teaching program without 
an Al is like teaching moves in 
the low post without ever playing 
a basketball game. Chess may 
aspire to be art, but it’s still 
about competition. 


v- 3pm 




ball blocking for a running back— it’s the 
first time I’ve ever heard “touchdown” 
w'hen playing chess. 

From the basics of how to move pieces 
to the subtleties of weak squares and the 
sliaqj tactics of sacrificing pieces for 
checkmate, Maurice Ashley Teaches 
C l-IESS has all the answers. The quick drill 
format even works as a refresher course 
for intennediate players, and the w'hole 
process is invariably enjoyable as well as 
informative. Aid while the chess engine 
will never challenge CHESSMASTER, the 
top level of Ashley is more than competi- 
tive enough for the average chess player. 

If you want to turn a friend on to chess, or 
start learning how to do more than just 
push pieces yourself, this is the best pro- 
gram you can buy. MAURICE ASHLEY 
Teaches Chess, Da\idson/Simon c? 
Schuster, 800-457-8357. 


ft fk The top 
level of Ashley 
is more than 
competitive 
enough for 
the average 
chess 

player. IJ J 


CHESS MADE 

UNNECESSARILY DIFFICULT 

When Virtual Cl iess scored the best 
of any program at a recent event against 
human Crandmasters, 1 figured it wrould 
jump like a Knight to the top of the heap. 
Problem is, we don’t have a new chess 
engine here— we got VirtuaChIsSS Plus 
instead. I’m no Grandmaster, but I still gel 
more of a challenge out of CnESSMASl'ER 
4000 than VIRTUAL CHESS, especially on 








Circle Reader Service #21 1 



TERRY COLEMAN 


medium levels. When you toss in the great variety of sim- 
ulated opponents, Cl U'lSSMASTER is a far more robust 
chess program. 

What’s worse, the tutorials of VIRTUAL Cl-IESS arc bor- 
ing in the extreme. KASPAROV’S Gambit, released three 
years ago, did a better job with multimedia, not to men- 
tion rating your overall play. Let’s be honest here: almost 
any top chess program can beat 90 percent of the chess 
players in the U.S. 90 percent of the time when set to the 
highest A1 levels. When you put programs like VlRIUAL 
Cl IKSS on a mainframe, they can even be competitive 
with Masters. That doesn’t make them the best program 
for the average chess player. IfTitus and l-Molion want to 
pul some effort into making the program more accessible, 
from the tutorials to the types of simulated opponents and 
even the graphics and interface, then they might have a 
winner. In the meantime, buy MAURICKASHIIY TKACHES 
Cl IKSS and wait for CHKSSM.ASTKR 5000 to finally release. 
Virtual Ci mss , 1-Motion , 800-4-13-3386. 


WHAT THE PROS 
PLAY 

Is the Sicilian 
Defense too tame for 
your chess repertoire? 

Do you lie awake nights 
in fear of new develop- 
ments in the Crob open- 
ing? If so, Bookup is 
your Holy Crail. ’Ibis 
small company out of 
Columbus Ohio has the 
most coi nprcl tensive, 
up-to-date software for 
the serious chess play- 
er-entire chess boohs by 
prominent International 
Masters and writers arc 
available on disk. Unlike 
other game databases 
such as ChessBase, 
Bookup stores chess 
positions in an “analysis tree” containing anything relevant 
to the position you arc studying, whether il’s from a grand- 
masler tournament, or your weekly game at the local 
Chess club. In addition, you can load these positions into 
several chess programs, such as Z\RKOV, and the program 
will analyze the position beyond the moves you’ve input. 

'Ibis is a product for serious chess players, but it is easy 
to use, and the analysis sheets can be printed in a fonnat 
similar to that of the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings. 
Available on Mac, IBM, and Windows, Bookup is still the 
cream of the chess crop, with prices ranging from $99 to 
$179; books on disk arc $29 each. Bookup, 800-949-5445 .% 





cc 


MAY 1996 






Lose yourself in mind-twisting 
gaming situations that challenge 
your logic and capture your 
imagination. 


THE ULTIMATE 
CHALLENGE FOR 
THE CURIOUS MIND. 


It's the most recent gaming adventure 
for the curious mind. The challenge- 
solve the puzzles that hold the key 
to seemingly random events and 
re-establish the connections that 
hold the web of time together. 


CAN YOU MAKE THE CONNECTION? 


W IN| 

■H 


Millions of fans know James Burke and "Connections"— the 
acclaimed and award-winning series on The Learning Channel. 
Now you can win a tour of Burke's favorite spots in London! 
Tour the British Museum and the Tower of London! Enjoy high 
tea at the Ritz! Dine at the famous Berkeley Hotel! Hang out 
at Burke's favorite pub! 

To enter, grab an entry form from your favorite software retailer and answer the 
following question: What object, pictured on the Connections box, through 
its use of electron beams, inspired the technology that created television? 

Play Connections. It's a mind game. 

No purchase is necessary to win. To enter sweepstakes, complete an official entry lorm or a T x 5' card with your name, address, city, stale, tip code, day and evening phone number end mail to 
■JAMES BURKETOUR OF LONDOIf P.O.Box 8931 Calabasas, CA 9 1 372. Sweepstakes begins March 15th. 1996 and ends June 30, 1996 Drawing will lake place on or about July 11. 1996. Oiler 
void where prohibited by law. Grand Prite: |l) Grand prise trip lor two to London. England. Trip consists of: round-trip coach airfare to London Irom the nearest major airport to winners residence. 
6 nights first class hotel accommodations, specialty sightseeing tours in London, six day London ^transportation pass, transportajion between to import and to hotel. all tael related sales tax and ser- 


Discouery 

i CHANNEL 


MULTIMEDIA 

Connect with us: http://www.discovery.com 


Circle Reader Service HI 70 



GOLF REAL! 

“Of the dozens of computer golf games we’ve played, the 'Greg Norman 
Ultimate Challenge’ Golf CD is by far the most realistic.” 

-COIF MAGAZINE, March 96 



iP^ 

fl“ 




fati 

pc 




GREG NORMAN 

Ultimate Challenge Got} 


“Golf Real” by selecting 
your own playing strengths 
at the start of the game, or... 


...use the Swing Meter for 
traditional “arcade” style 
of play. 


Coming in May, 1996 

G reg Norman Ultimate Challenge 8 Golf uses your own 
swing profiles and course management strategies to create 
the most realistic golf game ever. Improved graphics, sounds, and 
animation now make Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf even 
better. There is even a new BONUS Fantasy Course with 18 
additional holes of the most challenging golf imaginable. To Golf 
Real, See your local retailer or call 1-800-336-3686 

& 

GROLIER INTERACTIVE 

http://www.grolier.com 


GEORGE JONES • SPORTS 




constantly 
bums me 
out about 
computer 
sports 
games: 
their lack 
of depth. I 
know that 
sounds a little weird-how much deeper 
can you get (or do you want to get) in a 
game that features a full season replay 
with player personnel decisions, et cetera? 
My problem is that very few sports titles 
have taken the genre much farther, 'flic 
Front Pace Sports titles and Tony La 
RUSSA 3 are the only games 1 can think of 
where the challenge has greater scope 
than merely trying to win the season title. 
Maybe designers are afraid that if they 
inject a game with too much replay value, 


Imagine 
an NCAA 
basketball 
game where 
you have to 
recruit play- 
ers, deal 
with their 
off-court 
problems, 
and even 


sales will go the way of Major League 
Baseball Attendance. Or maybe it's just 
too much effort. But imagine an NCAA 
college basketball game where you have 
to recruit players, deal with their myriad 
off-the-court problems, and possibly, even 
face an NCAA investigation. What would 
happen to your computerized |>ro basket- 
ball team if, in addition to calculating sta- 
tistics and ratings, you had to deal with 
intangibles such as how salary negotia- 
tions or suspensions over failing to stand 
for the national anthem could affect a 
given players performance. It could be 
fascinating! 

SPEAKING OF FRONT PAGE SPORTS 

Here’s one great wish that FRONT Pace 
Sports Baseball 96, when (and if) it 
ships in July, delivers on its exceptional 
potential. One things for sure: the time it 
takes to play games within the season 


w'here human players aren’t involved had 
better take a lot less time than they did in 
FPSB 94, or even in FRONT PACE SPORTS 
Football 96 for that matter. 

WHERE THE ACTION IS 

I hope Joi in Madden Football ’96 
from Electronic Arts will also find a new 
level in sports play. I haven’t seen a quality 
action-oriented football title yet on the 
PC, but Madden could fill the bill. While 
some may legitimately argue that playing 
John Madden Football isn’t playing 
real football (the quarterback has longer 
than three seconds to get off a pass and 
the defenses don’t read plays as quickly as 


► Interactive Magic’s Decathlon is having trouble mak- 
ing the Olympic squad. The extra 
development time will be worth it, 
though, if it gives us the first good 
action-oriented track-and-field sim- 
ulation since, oh, the days of the C- 
64. 

► OverTime Sports, the joint ven- 
ture between Spectrum HoloByte 
and ABC Sports, will be bringing 
out a version of ABC Monday Night 
Football with digitized versions of 
all the regular announcers. The 3-D 
football game will offer direct play 
connectivity and is expected to support league play 
on a major, but as yet unannounced, online service. 


By next year, the company hopes to add to their line 
with ABC CFA College Football, 
complete with Keith Jackson’s 
announcing and 32 of the best col- 
lege teams. 

► IBM Publishing plans to continue 
their foray into sports publishing 
with Pro League Baseball, a stat- 
based game which will support 
players from 1904-1995 in its data- 
base. IBM also plans a strange ver- 
sion of a classic sports game. They 
will also publish a game called 
Pandemonium Golf which is sup- 
posed to allow gamers to tee off in the middle of 
New York, New Orleans and other bizarre settings. 


face an 
investiga- 
tion. : LJ 


HAY 1996 


CC 


ik 





I 

» 


CEORCE JONES 



jr For ^ 
'Windows 95 

and 

^Windows 3.1 


Circle Reader Service #117 


lenging' 







the real players do), it’s still a blast. Finally, it looks like there will be a football game on 
the PC where yon can pick a hole to run through or actually complete a pass by click- 
ing on a down field receiv er and letting the ball fly. 

MULTIPLAYER MATCH-UPS 

Besides the Imagination Network’s version of Front Pack Sports FOOTBALL, 
where can gamers turn for multiplayer sports gaming? Uh, that would be Absolutely 
Nowhere, Alex. I swear, the first company to take a quality sports game on-line will 
clean up. I get weak thinking of playing basketball or baseball over an on-line service. I 
understand that latency is a problem, but the possibilities are incredible. 

Soccer fans will get their chance with VR SPORTS SOCCER on the PC. Interplay’s 
new sports division plans a network version of the soccer game that will let up to 20 
players take control of one on-screen player (except the goalie). Players may have that 
sense of playing a team sport for the first time ever when that happens. Now, if some- 
one would only do that for hockey. 


DOOM MEETS HOCKEY 



With the current emphasis on first person 3-D action, I’m suipriscd no sports design- 
ers have made a stab at DOOM-meels-hockey. 'Hie only first-person attempt at a sports 
game I can recall is a long-lost Commodore 64 game by Gamestar called GFL 
Championsi IIP Football with it’s “in-lhe-helmet” view. Unfortunately, while it was 
kind of neat having to perfectly run wide receiver routes (seven 
steps forward, two steps left, turn to the ball), it 
was also more than a little frustrating. 

Speaking of Gamestar, old-time gamers might 
remember their gem of a basketball title: GBA 
Cl IAMPIONSHIP BASKIvlUAI . 1 . . A two-on-lwo full 
court hoops game, this title had everything— three 
pointers, dunks, league play, statistics, you name it. 
The Al was way too easy, of course (what game back 
then had a good Al?), but talk about being ahead of 
your time. 


GET A GRIP 


Memory Bank Gamestar’s sports games were 
always way ahead of their time. This football 
game had an “in the helmet" view. 

AAAii 


I think that Gravis CrIP is great-playing games 
with four people at a time, each with their own 
multi-button gamepad is awesome. But while play- 
ing around with NHL 96 and NBA Live 96 with 
some friends, I noticed that the action got more than 
a little confusing at times. Gameplay, in both cases, became quizzical contests of “Who 
has the ball?. . .Who has the puck?. . .Why do you keep hogging the rock?" Here’s why: 
in most sports games, when you pass the ball/puck, you immediately gain control of the 
recipient of your pass. 'I lie same is true of multiplayer NHL, 96 and NBA Live. Therein 
lies the problem. Whenever I passed to another player, I expected my Crl P-cnablcd 
teammate to be given control of the new ball-handler. But that doesn’t happen-if you 
don’t pass to your teammate specifically (the other guy on the floor with a colored star 
around his feet), you just keep passing to yourself. 

It’s not the Gravis CrIPs fault. This is a game design flaw that is present in all FA 
Sports games. But it does indicate that before we plunge into the realm of multiplayer 
play, game designers arc going to have to occasionally rethink gameplay. Maybe that’s 
the real reason online sports games haven’t happened yet. 

Next Month: Ceorge Jones passes the baton to Dennis McCauley, his first pick in 
the draft as new sports columnist. % 




cc 


HAY 1996 




the reviews. Now 


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in a league by itself. 


"HardBall 5's wealth of stats and options will 
deliver hours of fun'.' 

Electronic Entertainment 


‘This year the action is better than ever!’ 

Computer Gaming World 


The best baseball sivn 
currently available" 
Electronic Entertainment 




simulation of baseball! With 
ate" camora view. You're 
twice as close to the action, with the largest strike 
tone in the game! 


Our complete “stats construction set” instantly puts 
every stat and rating under the sun at your fingertips. 
Create unlimited custom stats displays for the 
ultimate managerial thrill! 







Hardball 5. Soon Accolade. and tho Spoit Accolade logo oio uednmarka of Accolade. Inc. 01995 Created by MindSpan. Accolade <a an official licensee of the Major Loogue Baseball Players Association LOGO CMiBPA MSA PlayStation, the 
PiayStetmn log o and the PS logo ora trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Distributed by WEA (Warner Elektra Atlantic Corp.l, a Warner Music Group Company. All rights reserved. Scroens shown are from PC version 

: > : v Circle Reader Service #40 


Watch your best 
reliever warming up 
In the bullpen, and 
analyze your starter’s 
fatigue, pitch count, 
and performance. 
When he’s ready to 
go, you're ready to go! 


Experience the best 
of baseball history 
with the bonus 
"Legends” League — 
12 great legendary 
teams from history, 
come to life in 12 
beautifully rendered 
old-time stadiums. 


For maximum variety 
in gameplay, change 
any manager's 
tendencies on any 
team and see the 
results play out 
on the field and 
In the stats. 


Hot new user interface 
gives you instant 
access to any feature. 
View and manage your 
team from the field, 
from the dugout, and 
from the General 
Manager's office! 


This “fifth generation” 
fielding simulation 
has additional play 
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New player animations 
smoother and 
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let you make your 
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Create your own 
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The resulting player 
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Optional wide-angle 
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towering pop-ups, 
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everyone who 
loves the game! 




SPORTS 


PREVIEW • NHL POWERPLAY '96 


Victory On Ice 

A New Challenger Makes A Run For Computer Hockey’s Cup 

by Gordon Goble 


any have tried, but few 
have succeeded. In the 
end, it must be conclud- 
ed that the hockey envi- 
ronment is not easy to 
depict on the PC. Sure, 
EAs NHL Hockey line 
has towered over the 
market lo these many 
years, and rightfully so. 
'stick-handled their way 
the truly frightful altema- 
ows why: there just isn’t 

G/WE^m IN DEVELOPMENT an ythj n gelse. 

One near-exception was Accolade’s 
1995 release, BRETT HULL HOCKEY. 

While BRETT was no cup contender, and 
certainly couldn’t touch the EA jugger- 
naut, there were hints that the people 
putting this thing together knew a little 
about the sport. 

The design house responsible for that 
promising, but seemingly incomplete, 
project was Vancouver’s Radical 
Entertainment, and now, like a stubborn 
bulldog, they’re at it again. Distributed by 
Virgin, NHL POWERPLAY ‘96 is the name 
of this game, and if the final days of beta 




I HAT trick PowerPlay’s gameplay is second to none, complete 
with great Al, players that play and move like they do in reality, 
and even team coaching. 



I>WARM UP FOR THE OLYMPICS in addition to the regular hockey season play, there is an 
I international tourney to play, with teams from across the globe. 


testing and refinement can solve a few 
niggling little details, it will have winner 
written all over it. 

FROM THE LOOKS OF IT 

Graphic hounds be forewarned — this 
w on’t be the pixelaled 3-D masterpiece of 
NHL Hockey ‘96. There won’t be a rink 
full of free-floating cameras, unearthly 
zoomable replays or atmospheric extras 
such as shattering plexiglass, reflecting ice, 
dislodged nets and feats of “fistic” fur}'. 
Furthenuore, gameplay will feature just a 
single panning 70-dcgrec above-ice view' 
of the proceedings — with no other viewing 
options ! 

But if it’s accurate gameplay you’re 
after, with an Al that you’ll continue to 
respect halfway through a long season, 
PowerPi AY may be your ticket to hockey 
bliss. Even in the beta version, 

POWERPLAY skaters seem to be thinking 
out there, making choices that are both 
intelligent, diverse, and rarely repetitive— 
unique in this genre. 

During a game, proper positional play 


is usually observed and only deviated from 
w hen opportunity arises. Yes, Islander’s 
scoring machine Ziggy Palffy managed to 
zip through my defense and home in on 
my net, but the whole dam team didn’t 
come with him. Instead, the other w'inger 
hung toward the left boards, and the 
defensemen, while certainly pinching, 
kept an appropriate distance back. This 
time, a deft kick save preserved a 2-1 
game, and as my skater started up ice, he 
was hounded by a pair of forecheckers 
while the others slowly retreated. Perfect! 

Defenders might lie up puck earners 
for several seconds, rendering them 
unable to pass or shoot — a lovely mimicry 
of the real thing. When they do get a 
chance to launch one, a slap shot lakes 
longer to set up than a wrist shot, and a 
backhand carries less momentum than a 
forehand. Goals aren’t dependent on “hot 
spots,” coming from anywhere within rea- 
son (I potted a couple from my own end 
of the ice, but Radical assures that won’t 
be the case in the final version), and you 
simply don’t get the feeling that events are 




CG 


MAY 1996 




Its that moment just after j/ou rip it off, when 
the circuits are still pumping cause they 
don’t know what hit ’em, and the/ve got that 
expression on their face like “H ey that’s my 
arm!”.. .the first gush of oil from the open 
socket... the lights in their eyes going 
dim. ..yeah, that’s when I know.. .I’m alive. 


Organic Virus Derivatives 

make Lockjaw attack 

without provocation! 


No human being could survive 

Necroborg’s 100,000 Watt 

Electrical Charge! 



Projectile Warfare: Fireball vs. 
Tetra Basic Acid Spit! 


SATURI\I" PLAYSTATION ’ 
WINDOWS 95 PC CO-POM 

—MM declaim 


„ J . RISE 2 RESURRECTION' 1 ' is licensed from MIRAG E TECHNO LOGIES (MULTIME- 

DIA! LTD. C 1996 MIRAGE TECHNOLOGIES (MULTIMEDIA) LTD. EECK.TCB ,U and RISE 2 
RESURRECTION"' are trademarks of MIRAGE TECHNOLOGIES (MULTIMEDIA) LTD. and used 
!h permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Sega and Sega Saturn are trademarks ol Sega 

‘ An "“ l — ■ e, '“ — ■" '• a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment, 

* ! — * - division and registered trade- 

ic. All Rights Reserved. 

Circle Reader Service #65 


II Enterprises.Ltd. All Rights Reserved. •PlayStation" is 
M Inc. Windows 95 is a trademark ol Microsolt Corporation. Acclaim ._ .. 
j mark of Acclaim Entertainment. Inc. ? 1996 Acclaim Entertainment. Ir 



completes a 12 Hit Chaos Combo! 





SPORTS 


PREVIEW • NHL POWERPLAY '96 


pre-programmed. 

But they’re not 
random either. 
Penalties seem to 
he a reflection of 
contact severity 
and goals a func- 
tion of pressure 
and quality of 
chance. Outplay 
and “out chance” 
the other guys and 
you should walk 
away victorious. 
Since players 
behave in accor- 



w HOCKEY DUCK Graphically, PowerPlay is still behind NHL Hockey, 
I but it has much more sophisticated and realistic gameplay. 


dance with their real life characteristics, 
pick a strong team with star players and it 
should he pretty easy to trounce the 
Senators or Sharks. 

As of this writing, the program play's too 
fast for my liking, and there are dead spoLs 
where computer players will leave my 


game under the belt. I found I was using 
just a single camera during most of my 
NHL Hockey forays anyway, and 
although some extraneous stuff would 
have been appreciated, it isn’t a necessity 
in the long run when the gameplay is this 
good. 


puck carrier untouched for minutes at a 
time, but Radical says these issues will be 
addressed prior to release. Even so, I 
found myself growing to appreciate tire 
game the more I played— usually the 
mark of a long-term contender. 

Sure, I missed some of the gloss I’d 
grown accustomed to with NHL HOCKEY 
‘96, but it mattered less and less with each 


ARrturnToGoodOanuplay 


L ike most gaming genres, it seems that PC hockey game- 
play has recently taken a back seat to vastly improved 
graphic technology— a prime example was the 
Accolade/Radical collaboration Brett Hull Hockey. But 
Hull producer Kevin Wilkinson, now the Radical man in charge of 
NHL PowerPlay, has seen the experience as a learning procedure 
and is out to change all that. "Not much came over from Brett 
Hull. PowerPlay is a whole new thing. I don’t think there’ll be a 
better PC hockey game out there when this hits the shelves.” 

“It’s deep in Al, real deep. Sure you can do the same things 
over and over, like going into the corner and setting up for one- 
timers, but the more creative you are, the more you’ll be rewarded. 
Players have a ton of possible decisions at any one time, and what 
they finally do is a reflection of the current situation. There’s a 
number of hidden attributes for each player as well, and that 
makes things very interesting." 

Wilkinson is particularly proud of the player rating system con- 
cocted for the game, saying, “I can’t give away any secrets, but 
devising the players’ skill levels has been almost a full time job.” In 
practice, the PowerPlay beta, although still a little buggy and prob- 
ably just too dam fast, nevertheless does a nice job of displaying 
these attributes on the ice as well as the stat sheet. 


SUMO HOCKEY PLAYERS 

Graphically, PowerPlay is just a 2-D 
environment, with action far less in-your- 
face than Brett Hull And although 
players are once again fairly short and 
squat, with bodies too small for numbers, 
logos, and a thorough design scheme, 
numbers and/or names are displayed 
under the puck carrier, and uniforms do 
carry basic colors. But it’s what they do 
and the way they move as individuals that 
really sells the experience. 

It’s a snappy frame rate to he sure (no 
doubt due in part to the game’s VCA 
nature), and player animation is strong 
and smooth. Rocket-like goalie blockers 
snake out from the body, shooting and 
skating motions almost transcend a com- 
puter game, and reactions to bodychecks 
are authentic. Even the referee acts the 
part. 

Player actions are further enhanced for 
owners of six button game pads. For 
them, nifty little moves such as backward 
skating, flip passes, hooks, and fast-skating 
with the puck will become second nature, 
as will manual goalie control for anyone 
with the desire to don the mask. If you’re a 
joystick-using hockey fan, it’s definitely 
time to try something new. 




Off the ice, there’s some good and 
some not-so-good news. On the down- 
side, player trades will not be permitted 
(although 1 hear they will be in future 
products). On a more positive note 
though, POWERPLAY does breathe new life 
into the oft-ignored realm of team coach- 
ing. 

Offensively and defensively, your 
team’s general style of play can be cus- 
tomized before and during each contest. 
Depending on your instructions, they’ll 
“dump and chase” or carry the puck in 
when attacking, and set up zone or man- 
to-man coverage when defending. 

Feeling a little surly? If so, the intimida- 
tion mode works nicely, but beware of the 
penalties that come with forceful play. 
Protecting a lead late in the game? Then 
tell your crew' to hang back. The differ- 
ence between a quick break offense and a 
more cautious approach is quite evident 
and, unlike the real world, PowerPlay 
teams always listen to their coach. 

NHL & INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS 

The high-resolution menuing system 
features nice background shots of 
cityscapes and locker rooms and, in beta 
at least, is concise and very' fast. All 26 
NHL teams are represented, as arc their 
full rosters with personal statistics and 
crisp photos of each player. For those who 
seek global domination, PowerPlay also 
offers international squads for play, staffed 
by the best players, NHL caliber or other- 
wise, that hail from each country. Game 
audio is pleasant enough at this stage, 
highlighted with Vancouver Canucks’ rink 
announcer John Ashbridge doing his own 
digital hockey shtick. 

For better or worse, Virgin has opted to 
release only a Win 95 version of 
PowerPlay ‘96, a move that will 
undoubtedly eliminate some prospective 
users. But for those who’ve bowed to the 
latest Gates-concocted platform, 
PowerPlay ‘96 may be the best-playing 
hockey product ever. State-of-the-art 
graphics won’t be found here, but if every- 
thing goes according to plan, an authentic 
and intelligent hockey experience will be, 
and that’s compensation enough for me.*fc 


cc 


MAY 1996 





DO YOU EVER WISH YOU WERE 60 FEET TALL, 
HAD CANNONS FOR ARMS, GUIDED 
i^-MTSSILES ON YOUR SHOULDERS AND COULD F#Y 
AROUND AND KICK ROBOT BUTT? 


^AfEIRJ^JJS TOO 


Your wish has been granted: EarthSiege 2. You'll get more than 50 missions, true 3-D texture-mapped terrain and incredible new burn-your- 
eyebrows-off pyrotechnics. The controls and cockpit interface are easy to use and infinitely customizable. And get a load of this: when you get tired 
of stomping Here butt on the ground, our new flight sim feature called the Razor lets you rain death from above. Cool? Yeah, we thought so too. 


* 


°yQ,f?.nix 


Circle Reader Service HI 55 
t, Inc. ® and/or ,M designate trademarks of, or licensed to Sierra On-Llr 


http://www.sierra.com. 
See your local software dealer 
ill rights reserved. Or call 1-800-757-7707. 




PlayStation 


AnOE3 


ffi ORIGIN 

\ lnhnranhii/n Mn 


Circle Reader Service # 145 


© l!55. OlltiS J|W». Ik. Him tl lit ip JiiJiljis taram lints hi tiijiaiih i| IHGIN Sjsiiss. lit, 0;i]ia ill fi'it; CiurhIii in iqisiml liilinils il MICH 







M&im 











L eave it to the makers ol the Walkman to make the near-perfect gaming machine. With an 
estimated 700,000 units already sold, upstart Sony has broken the Nintendo/Sega head- 
lock on the console industry with their first entry into the gaming maelstrom. When the 
Playstation debuted in September 1995, it arrived with a deep line-up of first-party and 
third-party software that showcased the power of this revolutionary gaming machine. Gamers look 
one look at the 3-D, 360 degree roving camera in games like Battle Arena: Toshinden and Ridge 
Racer, and were amazed at the graphics power ol the 32-bit console. Even more compelling was 
the long list of titles in development from established computer game companies like Origin, SSI, 
Interplay and LucasArts. 

When we discovered that Origin was porting Wing Commander III to the 
PC, or that Descent was being developed for the Playstation, we were 
surprised. And when we saw that X-Com, CGW's Game of 
The Year, and Panzer General, were making their way into 
the PSX line-up, we knew it was time to take a closer 
look. What we found was no typical gaming con- 
sole. With lop-notch graphics hardware and 
unprecendented support from PC ven- 
dors, the Playstation can attract even 
the most hard-core computer gamers. 


MAY 1996 


►TECHNOLOGY 



THE 



PLAYSTATION 

Can A $300 System Outperform A Computer 10 Times The Price? 

by Dave Salvator 


ony has packed a lot of hardware processing 
power into its new PlayStation. In certain sub- 
systems-most notably 3D graphics-it 
smokes even the most high-end gaming PC. 
Its other sub-systems are no slouches, either, 
but designing a gaming platform with a $300 
base price requires some compromises. One 
of the ways Sony kept unit cost down was by 
using small amounts of RAM, with only 2 MB for system, 1 MB for 
graphics, and 512 KB for audio. While an equipped Playstation costs 
around $400, a PC gaming rig can easily range from $2,500 to $4,000. 
The PC obviously has many applications beyond gaming, and is much 
more expandable, pulling multiple duties as gaming rig, home office 
work-horse, Internet surfboard, etc. With a PC, you’re getting a lot more 
memory and persistent storage (hard-disk space), 
and several different options for communicating 
with the outside world. 

Because of its dedicated hardware, the 
Playstation excels at rendering-intensive sports and 
action games, whereas the PC with its ample RAM, 
has been the preferred platform for more complex 
genres like war/stategy, role-playing, and simula- 
tions. But both platforms are making inroads into 
the other’s territory. For example, Panzer General 
was recently ported to the Sony, while recent PC 
titles like Duke Nukem 3D and EF 2000 deliver 
graphics quality that beat the PlayStation’s. 

If you’re debating between a PC or a Playstation, 
you should first consider what kinds of games you 
like to play, and how much versatility you need. A 


cc 


Playstation will deliver a lot of action-packed fun and maybe even some 
war/strategy titles, but not much else. PCs, on the other hand, are close 
to delivering equal or superior performance in all game categories, but 
you'll have to pay a lot more for the extra versatility and horsepower. 

Let’s take a look at the sub-systems of these two platforms to see 
how they compare. 

BRAINS & STORAGE 

The PlayStation uses a Sony CPU, a 32-bit processor that runs at 33 
MHz. The R3000A has an internal Level 1 cache with 4 KB for instruc- 
tions, and 1 KB for data. In addition to performing CPU duties, this chip 
has some of the graphics sub-system embedded in it. For the sake of 
simplifying a comparison, we’ll consider a Pentium 100 MHz, a 64-bit 
chip. The Pentium has an internal 16 KB Level 1 cache, and many PCs 
also ship with a 256 KB level 2 (external) SRAM 
cache for increased performance. A key differ- 
ence between the two platforms is the amount of 
system memory: Playstation has only 2 MB of 
system RAM, whereas a PC usually has about 16 
MB, and more can be added easily. The 
PlayStation currently has no provision for adding 
more RAM. 

Direct CPU comparisons are always tricky, 
because what makes one chip “better” than 
another doesn’t correlate directly to faster clock 
speed, higher bit-width, or architecture. While the 
Pentium is probably the faster chip, the 
Playstation still has a superior graphics sub-sys- 
tem that does more of the rendering work, so its 
CPU is free to execute other game code. 



sports games, Sony has a “multitap" 
device which can accomodate up to 
four controllers. With two multitaps, up 
to eight can play. 


MAY 1996 



►TECHNOLOGY 


Currently, rendering-intensive games on the PC require a great deal 
of the CPU for rendering before passing the task to the graphics accel- 
erator. Most PC action games are “graphics-bound" meaning that while 
they have ample CPU horsepower to run the game code itself, they're 
additionally saddled with a lot of the 3D rendering work. There’s a pha- 
lanx of 3D chips that'll soon be appearing on a PC graphics board near 
you, but they’re not quite here yet. Also, Microsoft’s Direct3D API is still 
pretty much a work in progress, meaning that game writers still have to 
optimize their titles for specific chips. 

GRAPHIC PERFORMANCE 

What makes the PlayStation’s 
graphics sub-system superior to 
the PC's? PlayStation has three 
components that make it happen: 
the Geometry Tranform Engine 
(GTE), the Graphics Processing 
Unit (GPU), and the Data 
Decompression Engine (MDEC). 

The GTE and MDEC are embed- 
ded in the PlayStation’s CPU, 
while the GPU is a separate chip. 

Working together, the GTE and 
GPU join forces to enable a maxi- 
mum resolution of 640x480x24-bit 
(16.7 million colors), though 
according to Sony most titles are written using a 
16-bit color depth (65,530 colors). 

PCs have 64-bit graphics accelerators that are 
designed to accelerate 2D graphics most frequent- 
ly used by DOS and Windows, and help decode 
digital video. PC video cards have gotten very 
good at these two tasks, but their 3D performance 
is still lacking. Diamond, Matrox and Creative Labs 
are all shipping 3D accelerator boards, though 
none of them can match the PlayStation’s perfor- 
mance bit for bit. 

For 3D rendering, the GPU can pump out about 
90,000 texture mapped, Z-sorted, perspective-cor- 
rected, Gouraud-shaded polygons per second, 
while the GTE can set up 1.5 million flat-shaded 
polygons per second. The end result is rendering 
on action games that PC titles have only recently been able to match, 
because PCs have not had dedicated hardware for 3D rendering. But 
given the number of 3D accelerator boards slated for release this year, 
PlayStation won’t hold the advantage much longer. 

The PlayStation does have a downside here, though. Using your tele- 
vision as its display, image quality is compromised by the TV’s lower 
resolution, interlaced display. The visible result is aliasing, or "jaggies" 
which are noticable on diagonal and curved lines. Most PC monitors 
are non-interlaced, so well-rendered graphics images aren’t distorted. 

As for digital video, PlayStation’s MDEC can decode full-screen 
video streams smoothly from the CD-ROM. PlayStation uses a video 
compression scheme somewhat similar to Motion-JPEG, a close 


cousin to the more versatile MPEG. PCs for their part don’t have dedi- 
cated hardware to accelerate the compression algorithms, but newer 
graphics boards can smoothly “stretch" smaller video frame sizes to 
full-screen, and also perform color space conversion. 

All in all, the PlayStation does hold the upper hand in graphics per- 
formance, but for how much longer is debatable. PC hardware (and 
software) is making great strides in 3D rendering that may yield higher 
graphics performance than the PlayStation. But here again price is a 
major factor: the whole PlayStation system costs about the same as 
some of the upcoming 3D graphics boards. 

THE AUDIO FILE 

Sony's audio production happens in its Sound Processor 
Unit (SPU), which has 512 KB of dedicated RAM. The SPU 
is designed to produce 24 channels of audio, and its maxi- 
mum sampling rate is the same as CD-quality audio. The 
SPU can also add real-time effects like reverb to sounds to 
simulate what a hockey slapshot would sound like in a large 
arena, for example. The overall sound quality on the titles 
we've heard is very good. 

PC sound cards are capable of CD-quality audio, but 
many PC games opt instead for lower-quality 11 KHz 8-bit 
audio, sounding something like an AM radio. New titles use 
more 16-bit audio, dramatically improving overall sound 
quality. Only a few sound cards have dedicated hardware for 
real-time effects, and the dearth of effects- 
capable boards means few PC game titles try 
to take advantage of those features. Most 
sound cards only have wave-table synthesizers 
to add background music, and a few sound 
effects. Playstation’s SPU can be programmed 
to work like a synthesizer, but uses too much 
of that precious 512 KB of audio memory. As 
an alternative, PlayStation usually plays audio 
CD cuts direct from the CD as background 
music. 

STORAGE AND CONNECTIVITY 

The PlayStation is equipped with a 2x CD- 
ROM drive which loads a game when the unit 
is turned on. Once data for a level or scene is 
loaded, some titles play audio CD tracks dur- 
ing game play, or the drive sits idle, waiting for the next disc call from 
the game. A PC’s 6x CD-ROM data rate is triple that of the 
PlayStation’s, allowing new levels and scenes to be loaded into RAM 
much faster. And the PC has plenty of storage on its hard-drive for 
saving games and configurations. It takes a 128K SRAM card (ca. 

$25) to save on the PlayStation. 

When the urge strikes to find some off-site opponents, the 
PlayStation doesn’t bring a lot to the party. There is a serial cable con- 
nector (about $20) that allows point-to-point gaming between two 
machines, but there’s no networking capability yet. PCs in contrast 
have several ready ways of communicating with one another: direct 
connect via serial port, modems and network cards. 



games with a gamepad can be a hassle, 
which is why Sony offers a mouse for point- 
and-click titles. 



ACCESSORIES With a link cable (for link- 
ing PlayStations) and RFU adaptor (for 
connecting to older TVs), a second con- 
troller and memory cards, the Play- 
Station’s final price tag jumps to between 
$400 and $500. 


MAY 1996 


CC 





ADVENTURE GAME OF 


E YEAR 


"LEGEND HAS PULLED OFF A 
STUNNING ACHIEVEMENt THAT 
WILL SET THE STANDAftDJNfii 


- YEARS TO COME. 

COMPUTER-GAME REVIEW, 1996 


STARRING MICHAEL DORN 



Nonstop Adventure Salvage cf 
crippled starship, encounter and survive 
dramatic battles in deep space. 


Dazzling Virtual Wo’rld Explore a 
vast alien civilization, align' a wormhole, 
and decide the fate of mankind. 


Total Immersion Full-motion video, 
seamless, smooth-scrolijng 3D, and 
layered sound effects with music. 




. . : • ' I 




ifljJ 




Get your copy of Mission Critical at these fine retailers: 

Babbages Best Buy Computer Gty CompUSA Egghead Electronics Boutique Fry's Electronics Media Play Software Etc. 









"OUTSTANDING AND SUSPENSEFUL!... 
BEAUTIFUL VISUALS AND 
THOUGHT-PROVOKING PLOT." 

-PC GAMER, 1996 

"A MUST-HAVE FOR 
STAR TREK FANS! " 

- STRATEGY PLUS, 1996 

"ENGROSSING." 

-USA TODAY. 1996 

"IF YOU MISS THIS GAME, 

YOU WILL MISS ONE OF THE BEST 
ADVENTURES OF THIS DECADE." 

- COMPUTER GAME REVIEW, 1996 


CRITICHL 


THE ULTIMATE GAME 
OF SURVIVAL 

BILEGEND' 

. • ' W .ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY 

. Distributed by RandomSoft 

A division of .Random House )nc. 


Strategy Guide Available from Prima Books. 3 CD-ROMs 

Also play Shannara from Legend Runs under MS-DOS® 

or Windows® 95 



© 1996 Legend Enlertainment Company. All righls reserved. Mission Critical is a trademark ol Legend Entertainment Company. 
Circle > Reader Service #86 




►TECHNOLOGY 




If you don’t play any other games, you have to try these five games, which showcase the 
Playstation’s power. And if you’re in need of some advice on which titles to avoid, , sneak a 
peek at the five worst list. 


THE FIVE BEST PLAYSTATION GAMES 

1. Air Combat (Namco) 

2. Tekken (Namco) 

3. Wipeout (Psygnosis) 

4. Warhawk (Sony) 

5. NHL Face Off (Sony) 


THE FIVE WORST PLAYSTATION GAMES 

1. Revolution X (Acclaim) 

2. Street Fighter: The Movie (Capcom) 

3. Rise 2: Resurrection (Acclaim) 

4. CyberSled (Namco) 

5. Defcon 5 (Data East) 


HOT BUTTONS 

The PlayStation controller features four 
buttons topside in addition to four buttons 
on its front side (faces away from you). 

The controller is generally very good for 
action games, though few games make 
use of all eight buttons, probably to avoid 
confusion. PlayStations ship with one con- 
troller, and a second will run about $25. 

Additionally, Sony makes a multi-tap that allows eight controllers to be 
connected to a single PlayStation, handy for sports 4-on-4 games, 
though eight can be a crowd around a single TV. Sony also makes a 
mouse (about $35) that, while not crucial, makes for easier menu navi- 
gation. The company is also developing a twin-joystick controller to 
drive vehicles in games like MechWarrior 2, though they don't yet have 
a release date for it. 

On the PC side, a wide variety of controllers can make PC titles easi- 
er to navigate and control. Prices vary widely, as does controller quality, 
but several vendors offer solid controllers. For multiplayer support, 
Advanced Gravis recently shipped the GRiP, which allows four Gravis 
GamePads to be connected to a PC for four-player sports games. 

AND THE WINNER IS... 

In the big picture, these two platforms were designed for markedly 


different uses. The Playstation is a box for lovers of sports and action 
games who don’t need the unit to fufill any other role. For its price, 
Playstation packs a wallop. A PC gaming rig will put a considerably 
larger dent in your cash flow, but it’s much more versatile. 

Looking at different sub-systems, the PlayStation wins out for graph- 
ics and has real-time audio effects that give it a slight edge in this area. 
But the advantage in graphics performance will probably be short-lived, 
and the PC wins out in amount of RAM, storage, connectivity and vari- 
ety of available input devices. The Playstation still maintains one impor- 
tant advantage for rendering-intensive 3-D games: game developers 
know exactly what hardware the system has, whereas PC title develop- 
ers have to use a least-common-denominator approach so that their 
title will run sufficiently fast on slower systems. Microsoft's DirectX APIs 
will address the problem of varying hardware, but that improvement 
isn't quite here yet. 


K ! ' PloySlotionvs.SigoSoturnvs.pt 


Sony PlayStation 

Sega Saturn 

PC Gaming System 

Price 

$300 

$300 

$2-4,000 

What Comes 
in the Box 

console, 1 controller, 

A/V cabling 

console, 1 controller, 

A/V cabling 

Varies 

CPtt(s) 

R3000A, 32-bit, 33 MHz 

two Hitachi SH2s, 

32-bit, 28.6 MHz, 
one Hitachi SHI, 32-bit 

Pentium, 64-bit, 100-166 MHz 

System RAM 

2 MB 

2 MB 

16-32 MB 

Graphics Chip(s) 

Some of graphics system 
embedded in CPU. Sony GPU 

VDP1 and VDP2 processors 

Varies 

Graphics RAM 

1 MB 

1.5 MB 

24 MB 

Audio Chip 

Sony Sound Processing 

Unit (SPU) 

Motorola 68EC000, 

Yamaha FH1 DSP 

Varies 

Audio RAM 

512 KB 

540 KB 

usually 512 KB 

MIDI Synthesis 

SPU can be setup as 
wavetable synth 

FM and PCM synthesis 

wavetable or FM 

CD-ROM data rate 

300 (2X) KB/sec 

320 (2X) KB/sec 

typically 6-900 (4-6X) KB/sec 

Persistent Memory 
/Storage 

128 KB SRAM cards 

512 KB cartridges 

500 MB-1GB hard drive 

Connectivity 

Two PlayStations can be 
daisy-chained 

No provision listed 

Modem or network functionality 
readily added 


cc 


HAY 1996 


►ACTION 


OPENim 

FLOODGATES 

Fast Cars, Furious Fighters and Psychotic Russians 

by Peter Olafson 


A ction is what the Playstation is all about. It is its 
meat and potatoes, the largest beneficiary of the 
machine’s power, and the source of much of its 
popularity. The best Playstation games are action: 
driving, fighting, flying, platform and shooting 
games. Load 'em up, and hang on. 

3-D ACTION 

Doom started this genre, and if it weren’t for that demon-splattering 
bloodfest, we’d never have the trio here. Alien Trilogy (Acclaim), the 
only decent "Alien”-based game available, pays homage to the trilogy 
with a mission-based stroll through a giant derelict spaceship, a 
cocooned colony and a prison. The graphics are inconsistent and the 
game’s not exactly scary, but it’s fun enough that you won’t notice. 

Space Griffon VF-9 (Atlus) is one of the earliest, and most under- 
rated, DooM-style games for the Playstation. It has a pseudo RPG feel 
as you explore a moonbase with teammates, talking via comlink. Some 
graphics are sloppy, though, and the controls are elusive and some- 
times unnecessary. 

Kileak: The DNA Imperative (Sony) is a game with uninspired levels 
and stupid enemies, but it does have some nice architectural touches, 
basic but well-integrated puzzles and a rich, polished veneer. 

RACING GAMES 

There’s no shortage of racing games on the Playstation, One of the 
first, Ridge Racer (Namco), was mobbed in the arcades, and has been 
effectively trans- 
lated. The resolu- 
tion's been 
knocked down a 
bit but the play, 
the elaborate 
background 
graphics and the 
slippery handling 
are all in place. 

Too bad you’re 
only racing on 
expanded ver- 
sions of a single 
track. 



TWISTED METAL If you want undiluted mayhem and violence, drive on 


down to the arena for car-blasting fun. 


The Need for Speed (EA) has come a long way from the 3DO original, 
with better scenery, new tracks, a deepened view and a full-field racing 
game to supplement the grudge match. However, adopting the racing- 
game format sacrifices some of the game’s individuality. The ribbon of 
road is too narrow, and crashes aren't as exciting in this version. 

Destruction Derby (Psygnosis) is a must-have game, not simply for 
the frenetic action, but for its marvelous use of progressive damage. It’s 
a great visual effect, and also a measure of the car’s deteriorating han- 
dling and road-worthiness. There are also a half-dozen small tracks, 
where demolition rules still apply, but the idea is to get to the finish line 
first. The problem is that the game's just not.. .destructive enough. 

For more straight-forward destruction, steer toward Twisted Metal 
(Sony). This is car wars plain and simple: arena combat against oppo- 
nents ranging from armed ice-cream trucks to 18-wheeler cabs to mili- 
tary vehicles. If you're not a flaming hulk when it’s over, it's on to the 
next arena. 

Automotive violence isn’t restricted to arenas. The Playstation transla- 
tion of Bullfrog’s race-and-shoot hovercraft game, Hi-Octane (EA), takes 
it out on the tracks, with beguilingly easy controls that create a true hov- 
ering experience. 

Road Rash (EA) is identical to the 3DO version, but don’t let that deter 
you. This motorcycle racing game was a classic in its first 32-bit rendi- 
tion due to its manic speed and violence, and both are preserved here. 



DESTRUCTION DERBY For flying into cars, smash- 
ing up doors, flipping hapless drivers end over 
end, there’s no better game than this. 



MAY 1996 


CG 






©CAPCOM CO., LTD. 1996 ©CAPCOM U.S.A., INC 1996. All RIGHTS RESERVED. RESIDENT EVIL is a trademark ol CAPCOM CO., LTD. CAPCOM is a registered liadomark of CAPCOM CO . LTD PlaySlalion, the 



Your team' should not be misled by the neot and orderly 
appearance of this isolated mansion. A major corporation’s 
been conducting questionable research here You II scon 
discover the results of some very very careless experiments 




Fight or flight? When you're under-powered and on 
the run, split-second decision making abilities are key. 
Discover and arm yourself with anything you find: 
knives, pistols, shotguns, flame-throwers and more. 





From hyper-realistic 3D lighting and an ominous CD 
quality sound-track and special effects, to unique action 
perspectives, this intense drama unfolds, building terror 
and suspense with every new room you wander through 



This twisted 32-bit polygon-based blood-bath isn’t limited to gleaming 
dining rooms and endless polished hallways Answers ore found in darkest 
corners of the estate cemetery, crumbling guest houses, and a mysterious lower. 


from initial reconnaissance team. No backup. You are on your own. 

PlayStation logo and the PS logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Feel like you may need a little emotional support? Try www.capcom.com 

Circle Reeder Service "55 




►ACTION 





not quite as 
hands-on as 
TEKKEN-yOU 
use weapons to 
fight— and 
doesn’t have 
the same sense 
of impact. 

On the other 
hand, I'm of two 
minds on 
Criticom (Vic 
Tokai). On the 
surface, it’s a 
hybrid of the 
two great 

Playstation fighters, with the look of Tekken and the sophisticated 
moves of Toshinden. But it isn’t exactly fun. The characters are too man- 
nequin-like and you end up not caring for your fighter. Zero Divide 
(Time-Warner) also owes much to Tekken, but comes off busy and mud- 
dled— both in its complex polygonal figures and hard-to-execute special 
moves. 

Nor can I bring myself to get too excited over Mortal Kombat 3 
(Sony). The excessive blood no longer distinguishes it from other beat- 
ups, and is sometimes downright silly. What’s left is an average, nicely- 
animated fighter. 

Of course, sometimes silliness works great. I don’t like Primal Rage 
(Time-Warner) because it’s a good fighting game. I like it because it’s 
downright goofy. Imagine a bunch of Godzilla stand-ins, battling it out 
with snout gouges and tail whips amid torrential outpourings of blood 
as human worshippers look on. 


Two games worth avoiding are ESPN Extreme Games (Sony) and 
Cyberspeed (Mindscape). The former is a violent race through gates on 
skateboard, rollerblades, land luge and mountain bike. The synthesis of 
all these elements doesn't really work, and the tracks are uninspired. 
CyberSpeed was a lamentable race-on-a-wire Windows 95 game, and 
while the Playstation version has a bigger, more in-your-face feel, it's 
essentially the same bad game. 


WipEOUt 


W ipeout (Sony) is smoothness personified. It’s a totally 
immersive hovercraft racing game, but even “immer- 
sive" doesn't quite say enough. This one gets under 
your skin, even without a VR helmet. Wipeout never 
reminds you that it’s running on a machine subject to constraints 
of CD access and loading times. It just envelops you. You pop it in, 
strap it on, and race in a sort of cockpit hush. The looping track 
speeds by as if seen from a car. The powerups start to seem like 
second nature. The jumps are just long enough to make you want 
to look down. And the track is just wide enough that you don’t feel 
like a captive. 

But you are. _ ^ . 

Hoc3 @ > 


01 - 36.0 

OV«*2.«= 


7775772 2 ? Ill 



FIGHTING GAMES 

Fighting games on the Playstation are among the best the industry 
has to offer. Street Fighter Alpha (Capcom), an animated 2-D fighter, is 
a good example. It’s fast and responsive, the enemies are varied and 
smart, and none of them just kissed the canvas; they always put up a 
good fight even as I moved in for the kill. I especially liked it because I 
could win by playing conservatively without having to memorize special 
moves first (or rather, by picking them up as I played). 

Battle Arena 
Toshinden (Sony), 
is also a top-notch 
game, ranking a 
close second to 
Tekken among 3-D 
fighters. Here, 
more than the 
character is 3-D: 
you can dodge 
right and left and 
call upon magic. 

The only reason I 
give it second 
ranking is that it’s 



T he venerable father of 3-D is an incontrovertible classic 
of this genre, and it is no less a classic on the 
Playstation. For sheer, lusty abandon, blood & guts, 
treachery and unalloyed terror, it knows few equals. 

Doom (Williams) for the Playstation is a one-stop shop: you can 
toggle between Ultimate Doom and Doom II at the main menu. The 
speed is superb in the near-full-screen mode. The music is wonder- 
fully brooding, and the deathmatch and cooperative multiplayer 
modes— the meat of Doom— are included, though you’ll need a link- 
ing cable to use them. 

Though better than 
the Jaguar and 3D0 
versions, Playstation 
Doom isn’t a straight PC 
translation. The graph- 
ics have been knocked 
down a peg. Devotees 
of the original game will 
notice a reduction in 
colors, lighting effects, 
subtle simplifications in 
level architecture and the odd missing texture. 

But the feel is entirely intact, and the feel is what counts. 



cc 


HAY 1996 




►ACTION 



T ekken (Namco) is simply unrivaled among Playstation 

beat-em-ups. It's the game that feels most like what it's 
all about: fighting. (Indeed, the only comparable games 
are Virtua Fighter Remix and Virtua Fighter 2 on the 

Saturn.) 

When these 
big, richly 
drawn charac- 
ters go down, 
in a flurry of 
fists and feet, 
they really go 
down. You feel 
as though 
you’ve been 
beaten up 
yourself. No 
wonder the 
winner does a victory dance. 

It’s in 3-D. and that makes all the difference. These ‘90s rock- 
em sock-em characters seem to genuinely occupy space and carry 
weight. In fact, could you excuse me for a sec? I need a cold com- 
press. I just got my ass kicked by the marine... again. 


Then there are the atrocious fighters. Street Fighter: The Movie 
(Capcom) uses stiff digitized characters for the fighters, and some of 
the fights are just ridiculous. Sharing the bottom of the barrel is Rise 2: 
Resurrection (Acclaim), which made me long for its poor ancestor, Rise 
Of The Robots. The sequel uses small, graphically muddy creations and 
dispenses with story entirely. 

FLYING GAMES 

Agile Warrior (Virgin) is one of several good flying games for the 
Playstation. It’s a pure arcade game-you collect floating powerups 
when you destroy certain buildings-but it brings ground detail to a 
whole new level. It's great fun to literally blow the roofs off radar build- 
ings, and watch guard towers keel over. 

Thunderstrike 2 (U.S. Gold) is from the same general school-except 
with a helicopter. You’re running from the frying pan to the fire in 26 
substantial missions, and you’re in Agile Warrior territory from the 
start: great terrain, incredible explosions and tasks whose completion 
will fill your heart. 

There’s one more 
arcade flyer, and it’s 
good. Warhawk (Sony) 
is more of a fantasy 
campaign than a mili- 
tary sim. You’re piloting 
the experimental 
WarHawk to stop the 
forces of a leader 
known only as Kreel. 
The missions are mem- 
orable, the graphics are 
often spectacular and 



WARHAWK Forget realism. This game is 
absolute fun. with spectacular graphics and 
pulse-pounding action. 




PLATFORM GAMES 

Interestingly, platform- 
ers aren’t big on the 
Playstation. But the ones 
that have been released 
are no worse than aver- 
age.. .and I found at least 
one charmer in the 
bunch. 

Johnny Bazookatone 
(U.S. Gold) has some of the goofy feel of Earthworm Jim and some of 
the rendered look of Donkey Kong Country. You’re a musical warrior 
with a giant knob of red hair, gunning down all comers and grabbing 
musical staves. The graphics are good, the levels are challenging 
enough to keep your attention, but Johnny lacks a certain magic to pro- 
pel it beyond mere platformhood. 

The same goes for Gex (Crystal Dynamics). Without Dana Gould, this 
3DO conversion would be a solid platformer with a lizard. With him, it’s 
a solid platformer with a lizard who makes annoying puns on every 
other stage. 

My favorite turned out to be Rayman (Ubi Soft), a sweet, almost 
Disneyesque platform-hopper designed for the young and young at 
heart. How could anyone not like this little guy, who closes his eyes 
happily when he jumps in the air and sticks his tongue out on cue? 


you always feel at the 
heart of the action. 


SHOOTERS 

Blasters of all description have been released for the Playstation, and 
they’re a mixed lot. Some are electrifying, some are dire...and a few will 



T he things I’ve seen in Air Combat (Namco). I've followed 
oil pipelines to refineries and sent them up in smoke. 

I’ve come in over enemy cities at night— so low I could 
see the neon signs atop high rises— and blown installa- 
tions right out the side of office buildings. I’ve hit their industry on 
land, and their Navy at sea, and left them smoking. After all, this is 
war. 

This is a system-seller. In this arcade flight sim, you’re a merce- 
nary running an air campaign against an aggressive enemy, and it 
doesn’t just mean shuffling paper. You’ll fly missions of all descrip- 
tion in all manner of planes, and 
you can use the money you earn 
to buy more, hire wingmen of 
varying experience and assign 
them orders. 

The game looks fantastic. I’ve 
seen such beautiful textures and 
surface structures only in the most 
elaborate computer games, and even there I’ve rarely seen smoke 
that looked more real. Even the planes— a whole raft of them, from 
B-52s and C-5 transports— look good, and you'll get to see them 
up close. My only complaint is the size of the game. Sixteen mis- 
sions is about eight too few for my blood. Sequel, please. 



HAY 1996 


cc 





►ACTION 


surprise you. 

Assault Rigs 
(Psygnosis) is one 
of the more pleas- 
ant surprises. This 
is essentially a 
fine-tuned version 
of CyberSled. You 
still have to blast 
opponents, but 
also grab the nec- 
essary gems and 
find the exit, while 
negotiating 

treacherous multilevel terrain. But the one-player game lacks sufficient 
challenge. It’s better on two machines than one. 

CyberSled itself, however, turns out to be Namco's only Playstation 
miss so far. This coin-op conversion is unadorned arena combat where 
two polygonal tanks square off against each other until one of them 
gives up the ghost in a gas-fired explosion. The arenas aren’t especially 
large or complex, and the battles often turn into Old West quick draws. 

Krazy Ivan (Psygnosis) is the closest thing to a MECHWARRioR-style 
game for the Playstation. You're a paranoid schizophrenic Russian sol- 
dier in a 40-foot high Steel Cossack powersuit with orders to defend the 
earth from aliens. So off you go, rolling in smooth 3-D over sculpted 
gray-green hills, blowing up everything in sight, collecting the tiny 
human hostages that appear afterward and destroying the generators 
that produce the alien’s expanding energy shields. You’re in for a good 
time here. 

For some action in space, Jupiter Strike (Acclaim) wouldn’t be a bad 
choice. The graphics are hardly cutting edge, but I enjoyed its mix of 
shooting and targeting. Then there’s Viewpoint (EA), an isometric 
blaster from the Neo-Geo. It’s one of the prettiest shooters, with lus- 
cious rendered scenery, but it’s also infuriatingly difficult. 

Try Philosoma (Sony) for something different. Its gimmick is a mercu- 




J umping Flash (Sony) is a platformer with a difference: 3-D. 
Rather than bouncing around the landscape in a side-view, 
you're in the game, looking through the eyes of youi charac- 
ter, Don’t worry: This isn't another DooM-style game. All the 
platform rules apply in this action/adventure — the head bounces 
that kill, bonus stages and power-ups. And because the play area is 
deep, as well as wide, there's so much more to see and try out. 

It may take plat- i 

form vets a little 
while to get into 
this new "head." 

But I found it 
utterly captivating. 

It's an experience 
you won't want to | 


rial view. Stand in one place for too long and it switches styles on you: 
horizontal shooter, 3-D, front-to-rear perspective 3-D, ZAxxoN-style iso- 
metrics — you name it, it's in here. Despite the mess, it manages to 
achieve a certain consistency of tone. Unfortunately, it's too easy to 
beat. 

Cyberia (Interplay) also tries for multistyle play, but in a more creative 
way: It uses 11 distinct action sequences as punctuation in a strong 
graphic adventure. Like the PC version, you'll solve puzzles and explore 
places, but the action is solid, too, right from the first-level gun turrets. 

For a sideways-scroller, you can’t do better than In the Hunt (THQ)-a 
sumptuous blaster in which virtually everything can be blown to bits. 
Torpedoes fired from your little submarine lay waste to everything in 
your horizontal path, while missiles wreak glorious havok on the elabo- 
rate structures above. The only problem is that the sub sometimes has 
only a small amount of room to maneuver. 


For more 
earthbound 
action, try 
Off-World 
Interceptor 
Extreme 
(Crystal 
Dynamics). A 
monster- 
truck rally 
gone awry, it 
lacks Total 
Eclipse’s vari- 
ety — no tun- 
nels here— 
but because 
you have 

more control of your craft, you can experience the game more fully. 

Old games can be fun, too. Raiden Project (Sony) is a charming 
blast from the past. A descendant of great vertical blasters like 1942, 
this rich top-down vertical shooter offers loads of large, aggressive 
sprites for you to detonate. 

Fast-flying shooting isn't all good, though. Novastorm (Pysgnosis) 
and Total Eclipse Turbo (Crystal Dynamics) are both disappointing. The 
first is like Microcosm without the blood vessels and is rather old-hat, 
while the latter, for all its fast 3-D shooting in tunnels and skylanes, just 
comes off dated. Shockwave Assault (EA), a bundle of two 3-D shooters, 
Shockwave and its add-on Operation JumpGate, likewise suffers from old 
age. A good game on the 3D0 a few years ago, Shockwave's gameplay 
is too restrictive these days. 

And at the bottom of the barrel we have the “to avoid" list. Loaded 
(Interplay), a top-down maze shooter, is the bloodiest game on the 
Playstation. When you kill an enemy it makes a very wet "SPLAT!”, and 
you’ll see a red silhouette on the floor. I made many red silhouettes, 
laughed a bit, and then looked around for the game. Unhappily, Loaded 
came up empty. The same goes for Revolution X (Acclaim), the only 
gun game for the Playstation. We didn’t waste any time on this game, 
and you shouldn’t either. 



ASSAULT RIGS This 3-D tank shooter is fun alone, but 
an absolute riot when played competetively between 
two machines. 



►SPORTS 


THE WHOLE 
NINE YARDS 

The Game Isn’t Over, But The Score Is Looking Good 

by Peter Olafson 


S ports on the Playstation? Stay tuned. There aren't a lot of 
games out, but a whole locker-room full of stuff is headed 
our way. However, a few of the games released to date are 
exquisite. 

Take, for example, NFL GameDay. This smoothly-animated football 
game reminds me of the games in EA’s Madden line-with rational, 
Madden-like controls on screen-but with a greater sense of intimacy 
and closeness. It got me caring about football games again-some- 
thing I haven’t done in a long time. 

But it’s April now, and you're probably looking for a baseball game. 
Unfortunately, as we went to press, there was only one, and it was bad. 
Bases Loaded ‘96 Doubleheader (Jaleco) has mediocre graphics, includ- 
ing a skewed pitcher-batter perspective, and suffers difficult batting and 
pitching that results in pathetically low-scoring games. 

You’re in luck if you like basketball, though. In the Zone (Konami) 
offers a more realistic turn on 3-D basketball games like Slam N Jam. 
The large size of the players helps bring the game home, and their 
smooth movement and realistic execution of dunks and jumpers sells it. 
You should note, however, that it is strictly an action game, without sub- 
stitutions or even a full-season mode. NBA Jam Tournament Edition 
(Acclaim) is something a little different: a hybrid of basketball and 
shoot-em-up in which power-ups hold court-like slamming the ball 
home from anywhere on the court and levitating above the backboard. 
College Slam (Acclaim), an amateurish NBA Jam, is worse. It has a 
ridiculous roster of power-ups, like reversing the direction of balls in 
flight, frying your rim with lightning to prevent your opponent from scor- 
ing, and making a teammate invisible. It also has an ugly introduction 
and some bad graphics. 

Soccer is well-represented on the Playstation, and FIFA 96: Virtual 
Stadium Soccer (EA) unequivocally rules the roost. I’ve never played a 
game that so accurately and excitingly reflects what takes place on the 
field, or one that makes this hard-to-embrace sport so accessible. 
Nothing of consequence is missing, and virtually anything you’re 
uncomfortable with in the default settings can be adjusted to your lik- 
ing. Goal Storm (Konami) is another strong contender. It’s not quite up 
to FIFA’s realism or depth, but it has big, clearly-drawn polygonal char- 
acters and, most importantly, it’s fun to play. On the other hand, I never 
could quite get a handle on Striker 96 (Acclaim). It was all I could do to 
get my foot on the ball and understand the thick accent of the English 
announcer. The moment I liked best is when the players walked off the 


■ 



field at the end of the 
game. 

World Cup Golf (U.S. 

Gold) is merely an average 
golf game. It’s amusing at 
times, but the game is 
graphically muddy. 

Feature for feature, it can't 
compare to PGA Tour 96 
(Electronic Arts), which 
looks great, plays intuitive- 
ly, and, best of all, is chal- 
lenging. It’s definitely a 

keeper. We're also looking forward to VR Sports Golf (Interplay), t 
game that promises more camera angles and faster play than anything 
currently available. 

The rest are odds and ends. The first-person tennis premise behind 
Power Serve 3D Tennis (Ocean) is a fine one, but the game is frustrat- 
ing. It doesn’t even have a practice mode to learn how to hit the ball. 
WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game (Acclaim) captures nicely the fla- 
vor of this silly, theatrical "sport," and can be played for some good 
laughs. 


NHl Fatf Off 


I n hockey, though, we have greatness. NHL Face Off (Sony) 
has the “feel” of professional ice hockey down to a science. It 
has the game’s running-water fluidity. It has great game 
sounds. It has the checks (but not the fights), and the penal- 
ties. It has the gleam of the ice, but not the skate marks. It has the 
real NHL players, exhibition and full-season play (including the play- 
offs), and the ability to create, draft, trade and release players (but 

not argue over salaries). 

You can edit your lines or 
assign the computer to 
take over as goalie. You 
can also change the view 
to suit your taste. 

Most importantly, NHL 
Face Ofi has the moves. 

Complaints? Not a one. 



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Circle Reader Service “ 291 


►STRATEGY 


WINNING 

STRATEGIES 

Wargames March Into A New Front 

by Peter Olafson 


A h, strategy. Without this section, where would we fit 
war games, puzzles, strategy games and other miscel- 
laneous titles that challenge you to think? These 
games clinched the decision to cover the Playstation, 
and their debut on this platform is definitely a sign of good things to 
come. 

Hard-core wargamers will find a pleasant surprise on the Playstation: 
Panzer General (SSI). For those who don’t know, this is a delightful, 
hassle-free World War II campaign from the German side. But don’t 
think for a moment that, because it’s simple to play it’s easy to win. 
Germany may have rolled over Poland in 1939, but its defenders will go 
out fighting. Defcon 5 (Data East) is a mixed bag of strategy, exploration 
and action that finds you 
defending an outpost. It's 
not a bad idea, but the 
components, especially 
the Wolfenstein 3-D seg- 
ments, are of inconsistent 
quality, and the game 
never quite congeals into 
a whole. The Playstation 
also boasts Return Fire 
(Time-Warner Interactive), 
the sequel to the venera- 
ble Amiga classic, 
Firepower. It’s a splendid 
game of capture-the-flag, 
with notable improvements over the original. Now, you command tanks, 
choppers, jeeps and missile launchers in a series of island scenarios 
against a much more challenging enemy. 

A-Train (Maxis) and Theme Park (Electronic Arts) are games in the 
SimCity vein, and both perform very much like the originals. In Theme 
Park, you build an amusement park, while in A-Train you construct rail- 
roads. In both, as a bonus, you can literally enter the world you create. 
Theme Park's 3-D world isn’t implemented very well, as the first-person, 
polygonal park is rough in appearance, deserted, noninteractive, and 
hard to navigate. A-Train is a better success, where you can ride any of 
your buses or train routes and watch the scenery roll by in the four car- 
dinal directions. You can even switch the view between them at will. In 
each case, it’s immensely satisfying being able to wander through the 
very parks or trains you built yourself. I certainly hope this is a trend 


PANZER GENERAL The best of wargames has 


that other games will follow. 

The Chessmaster 3-D (Mindscape) also makes it to the Playstation. 

It’s a more than respectable opponent, using the Chessmaster 4000 
engine, and should keep your hand firmly attached to your chin. 

There are also several games on the puzzle front. 3D Lemmings 
(Psygnosis) is the natural extension of the Lemmings universe into anoth- 
er dimension, with new 3-D Lemmings— like Turners-that may take a 
while to get used to. Once achieved, it’s as playable, as charming, as 
maddening as ever. For simple diversion without addiction, there is 
Zoop (Viacom), which is more or less Tempest, where you shoot down 
approaching colored squares from within a central grid. Another is 
Geom Cube (American Technos), which is competitive Welltris. 



X-Com. CGW’s 1994 Game of the Year, has been ported to the 
Playstation, seeming proof that the world has indeed been taken 
over by aliens. Hah! We X-Com veterans must expose this UFO 
wannabe for the monthly supermarket checkout line fodder that it 
is. 

X-Com is hardly a 
fast-paced game on the 
PC. but I could have 
fixed a sandwich 
between CD load times 
here. A bigger problem 
was the gamepad, so 
unsuitable for this 
game that I had to 
replace it with a 
Playstation mouse. 

Otherwise, the game mechanics are the same. 

The aliens can’t see your hidden units, just as in the PC. But the 
more aliens the Al had to move, the less felicity it showed in 
patrolling, maximizing fields of fire and so forth— probably a memo- 
ry limitation. To offset this, the aliens were ''tweaked" to fire much 
more accurately than in the PC version. Interception of UFOs is also 
tougher here, because the Al runs away faster, and your fire is curi- 
ously less accurate. 

Do these cheats hurt? Not that much, really, because the core of 
the game is intact in all its strategic and research-heavy glory. 
Tactically, the Al still pounces on weak human moves with those 
nasty Alien Grenades, and Mind Control is as effectively creepy as 
ever. But it is not quite an equitable substitute for the PC version. 
—Terry Coleman 



cc 


MAY 1996 




CHIPS & BITS ihc. 

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‘PRIMAL RAGE’ 
Select one of 
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dinosaurs, then 
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opponents into 
submission as 
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Urth domination. 
Blizzard’s freeze 
breath and ice 
geyser fighting 
moves stop you 
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hammers 
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‘AIR COM- 
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and unleash 
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skies. You 
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hired to strike 
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air forces 
have failed. 
Good hunt- 
ing! S46 


PLAYSTATION HARDWARE 


ASCII Control Pad S22 

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Mad Catz Steering Wheel S74 
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Mad Catz Control Pad Deluxe S16 
PSX AC Power Cable S15 
PSX Combat Cable SI 9 

PSX Controller S22 

PSX Game Gun S38 

PSX Memory Card S24 

PSX Mouse w/Pad S32 

PSX Multi-Tap S46 

PSX RFU Adaptor S27 

PSX RGB Cable S19 

PSX Stereo A/V Cable S26 
Sony Playstation, Core S319 
Sony Playstation with Game S349 
System Selector S19 


PLAYSTATION ADVENTURE 


7th Guest 2: 1 1th Hour S52 
Adrenalin Factor S54 

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Alien Virus $52 

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Arcade Classics S47 

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Creature Shock $54 

CyberWar $54 

Cyberia $52 

D $52 

Dark Stalkers $52 

DarkNet $52 

Death Crusader $54 

DelCon 5 $52 

Die Hard Trilogy S54 

Dimension $54 

Down In the Dumps $54 

Dream Knight $54 

Earthworm Jim 2 $48 

Fox Hunt $52 

Freelancer 2120 $52 


PLAYSTATION ADVENTURE 


G-Police S54 

GEX S52 

Gender Wars $54 

Heart ol Darkness $54 

Hell S54 

Hyper 3-D Pinball $44 

ID4: Independence Day S54 
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Incredible Idiots in Space S52 
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Kingdom O' Magic $54 

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lawnmower Man 2 $54 

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Mind Warp S52 

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Offensive S54 

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Planet of the Apes S54 

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Spot Goes To Hollywood S54 
Steel Harbinger $54 

Storm $52 

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War Gods S54 

Waterworld $52 

Worms $52 

Wrowler S52 

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PLAYSTATION KICK & PUNCH 


Crilicom S58 

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‘ A-TRAIN’ 
You'll start 
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If all goes 
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PLAYSTATION KICK & PUNCH 


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Zero Divide 2 $54 


PLAYSTATION ROLEPLAY 


Arc the Lad S52 

Beyond the Beyond $52 

Dark Seed 2 S52 

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands $52 
Entomorph S52 

I Have No Mouth $52 

King's Field 2 $52 

Shining Sword $54 

Slayer $52 

WerowolliThe Apocalypse $59 


PLAYSTATION SHOOTERS 


After Shock S52 

Air Combat $46 

Alien vs Predator $54 

Alpha Slorm $54 

Armed $52 

Assault Rigs $52 

Crossfire $54 

DNA Imperative $44 

Don Pachi $52 

Doom $5*1 

Eurit $54 

Fade to Black $52 

Hi-Octane S52 

Hlvo S47 

Johnny Bazookalone $52 

Jupitor Strike $52 

Krazy Ivan $52 

Last Bounty Hunter S54 

Loaded S52 

Lono Soldier S56 

Major Damage S54 


PLAYSTATION SHOOTERS 


N AMCO Museum V. 1 -5 ea S52 
Nedrodome S54 

Novaslorm $52 

PO’od $52 

Power Slave $52 

Raiden S44 

Rosldent Evil $53 

Robolron S54 

Shell Shock $52 

Shock Wave S54 

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Star Blade Alpha S44 

Star Fighter 3000 S54 

Starwindor S54 

Thunderstrike S52 

Tokyo Highway Battle $54 

Total Eclipse S34 

Virtuoso S54 

XS $54 

Zcitgest 559 

Zero Divide $52 


PLAYSTATION SIMULATION 


4x4 Gears 8 Guts S52 

Agile Warrior: F-tt IX S52 

Ball Blazer S58 

Bogey: Doad 6 S52 

Chaos Conlrol $44 

Cyber Slod S46 

Cyber Speed S52 

Cyborbikos: Shadow Racor S52 
Deadly Skies $52 

Death Race $54 

Doscont $52 

Destruction Derby $54 

Gunship 2000 $52 

Impact Racing $52 

Jumping Flash $52 

MagBall $54 

Magic Carpot $52 

Mogarnco 2 $54 

Mick Thompson's Supercross $52 
Nood for Speed $54 

Oil World Intercoplor $39 

Raven Projocl $49 

Raw Pursuit $52 

RazorWing $54 

Ridgo Racor $44 

Rldgo Racor Revolution $49 
Road Rash $54 

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‘CYBERIA’ It’s 
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Mankind lives 
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And the ulti- 
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Cyberia, has 
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Features state- 
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‘DOOM’ From 
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guns firing, 
men scream- 
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Suddenly 
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marine thrust 
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SimTower $52 

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Supesonic Racer $54 

Team 47-GoMan S54 

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Wing Commander 3 $52 

Wipeout $52 


PLAYSTATION SPORTS 


3-D Golf 544 

3-D Soccer S44 

3-Decathlon S52 

3D Baseball S54 

Aaron Vs. Ruth $54 

Big Bass World Champ'nship$52 
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Hardball 5 S52 

MLB Penant Raco S52 

MLBPA Baseball S46 

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VR Soccer $54 

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Virtual Tennis S52 

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Circle Reader Service ft 228 


Introducing Silent Thunder: A10 Tank Killer II. 24 action-packed missions take you through Central America, 
the Middle East and Korea in one of the most devastating ground attack planes ever created. Huge explosions 
and texture-mapped terrain reduce other flight sims to twisted wreckage. See why PC Gamer Magazine says 
"The terrain graphics are unquestionably some of the the best ever seen in a flight sim." And yes, they are 
^ real screen shots. Even the big one! 


ss k L£* nr 
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http://www.sierra.com 
See your local software dealer 
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© Sierra On-Line, Inc.® and/or ,M designate trademarks of, or 
licensed to Sierra On-Line, Inc. All rights reserved. 



DENNY ATKIN • SIMULATION/SPACE 




I lying flight sinis is 
just like dating. 
(Whoa! Let me 
explain the anal- 
ogy— I’m not 
llwt much of a 
game geek.) 
Surely you’ve 
started going out 
I with someone 
(bought a new sim) and been truly 
impressed with that person’s (sim’s) looks, 
personality, and, urn, handling. But as you 
get deeper into the relationship, strange 
quirks pop up. You find unexpected 
behaviors (bugs) and redundant conversa- 
tions (missions), and sometimes the per- 
son (sim) wants to do different things than 
you do (exhibits poor control response). 
Eventually the peculiarities get so annoy- 
ing that you say it’s been fun and head on 
to the next relationship (sim). 

'Hie nice thing about flight sims, 
though, is that unlike ex-girlfriends, they 
can be patched. (I’m not bitter— 1 just 
dated a few too many Release 1.0s before 


it It would 
be nice to be 
confident 
that you're 
buying a 
finished 
product. 11 


►Fighter Duel currently supports 
only two players over a modem 
or direct serial connection. Soon 
you’ll be able to take on the 
whole office with the release of 
the Net Duel update. This patch 
will add support for playing 
Fighter Duel over an IPX-compat- 
ible network, using either DOS or 
Win 95 network drivers. Up to 
nine players will be able to enter 
the fray in a free-for-all air battle. 
The first player will establish the 


basic rules and setup; then 
Players will be able to come and 
go as they please, switch planes 
after being shot down, and more. 
►In our March flight sim 
roundup, we mentioned that 
JetFighter III wouldn’t have net- 
work or modem support. That’s 
true for the first release, but 
Mission Studios plans an add-on 
module later this year that will 
add extensive multiplayer sup- 
port. 


of the hottest sims of recent memory. 
However, once you delve deep into the 
simulation, you’ll discover some rough 
edges. The lack of ground fire and anti- 
naval missions in 
the campaign dis- 
appoints, but the 
biggest crime is 
that your actions 
have little or no 
effect on the cam- 
paign’s outcome. 

That’s not the 
case at all with the 
patched version. 
Campaigns are 
fleshed-out, with 
numerous anti- 
ship missions, more enemy CAP flights, 
strong target defenses, and dangerous 
neutrals who attack if you enter their terri- 
tory. You can customize your weapon load 
before each mission, and post-mission 
debriefs are more thorough. Many details 
have been attended to — lose your 
AYVACS early in the fighting and be pre- 
pared to do without any JTIDS target 
data for the rest of the campaign. 

Pilot Al has been improved — no more 
planes flying into the ground on approach 
or ineffective Wild Weasel aircraft. Your 
own flying habits will have to change as 


SLEEK ZEKE The Fighter Duel patch adds the agile A6M2 Zero to 
the fray. 

P * 1 


I married.) Three of last year’s best have 
recently been the subject of extensive 
patches. You’ll find two of the patches on 
this month’s CC-ROM; the EF2000 
patch wasn’t final when the CD went to 
press. 


EF2000.1 

EF2000, in its unpatched fonn, is a 
dazzling game. A rich visual and tactical 
environment, detailed systems control, 
and a wide variety of missions make it one 






DENNY ATKIN 


well: weight and drag of stores now affects 
low-speed performance, the odd high- 
speed stalls have been eliminated, and a 
voice and “break X” will warn you of an 
imminent ground collision. 

Multiplayer mode has seen the most 
dramatic improvement. Previously, it was 
more or less a guns-only free-for-all. Cun 
hits were so difficult that four players 
could fly around in circles for half an hour 


mirrors (superbly implemented) have 
been added. Happily, ) oil’ll no longer be 
surprised by SAMs or AAMs when flying 
in formation. Better external view options 
let you pinpoint enemy or friendly aircraft 
and watch dogfights in progress. 

Radar is better modeled, with target 
aspect angle affecting radar return. 
Keymaps have been adjusted to better 
support programmable controllers such as 



without scoring a kill. Now gun damage 
has been turned up. and short-range mis- 
siles are optionally available. I'.vcn better, 
you can now fly the campaign in multi- 
player mode, with up to eight human 
players. With these improvements, the 
patched EK2000 is a five-star game. 


the ’1 brustmasterTQS. 

This is just an interim patch — the 
planned 1.1 release will hopefully' add 
additional features, such as cloud cover. If 
you have features you’d like to see in 1.1, 
you can send them to the developers at 
Nsocme@mindscape.com. 


FLANKER HANKER 

Like EF2000, Su-27 Ft ANKER was 
rushed out for Christmas. Some features 
didn’t work properly, while others were 
omitted entirely. Now a series ol patches 
(up to 1.05 at press time) have the blanker 
ready for the front lines. 

You’ll find survival much easier now 
that the ECM light works, the field of 
view' has been increased to a more realis- 
tic 2-10 degrees, and the missing rear-view 



If Top Gun: Fire Ar Will! crashes on you 
at the end of a mission, this may get 
you up and running while you await the 
inevitable patch. Find the TOPGUN.INI 


DUEL CARBS 

The initial release of FIGHTER Duf.L 
had relatively few problems. However, 
there’s always room for tweaks, and the 
recent patch (version 1.0.45 is examined 
here) fine-tunes this superb sim quite a 
bit. 

A new plane, the nimble but vulnerable 
A6M2 Zero, has been added. 1 he most 
appreciated feature should be the 
revamped \iew support. Keypad views arc 
no longer “sticky .” When you release the 


file and change the ASYNC= line to 
ASYNC=N0. Alternatively, you can try a 
full install of the game if you have over 
100MB to spare on your hard drive. 

Top Gun’s terrain graphics may look like 
Spectrum Holobyte channeled the ghost 
of Seurat to lead their art team, but they 


key, the view' returns to the front. 

Similarly, a toggleable alternate view set is 
available for joystick view' hats, giving side- 
views off the yvings instead of angle views 
behind the tail. A partial panel view shows 
you the most important instruments while 
keeping more of the action visible. 

Additional controllers are supported, 
and the second view hat on sticks such as 
the CM F-16 Combat Stick now trims the 
aircraft (the function such hats serve on 
real aircraft). A config file lets you redefine 
any' button or view hat function. 

Armament has been split into two 
banks. You can now fire cannons, 
machine guns, or both. Bullet lethality is 
toned down, so kills are a bit harder to get. 
The flight model has been tweaked, with 
more realistic roll rates and the addition of 
prop drag. 

In realistic flight inodes, you’ll now 
have to catch the wires at the rear of the 
aircraft carrier to land successfully. Finally, 
when you die, you’ll now get to see your 
plane explode or splash into the ocean, 
rather than being unceremoniously 
dumped back to the results screen. 

BETTER LATE THAN... 

I’m overjoyed to see these patches. All 
of these updated games are eminently 
more playable, and the companies are to 
be commended for improving their prod- 
ucts. Still, it’s a shame that business pres- 
sures force these companies to release 
games before their time. It would be nice 
to be confident that you’re buying a fin- 
ished product.% 

► You’ll find the EF2000 patch at www.dld.com/ 
patdt.html, the Su-27 patch at 
www.mlndscape.com, and the Fibhtcb Dua patch 
at www.phlllpsmedla 
.com/medla/games/ 
games.html. 


can be improved. Launching the pro- 
gram with the command TOPGUN 
SUPERHI will effectively double the res- 
olution of the ground texture. You’ll 
need to turn the Terrain Detail setting 
down to Medium within the sim to get 
an acceptable frame rate on a PI 66. 



cc 


MAY 1996 





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Circle Reader Service tf 78 




SIMULATION/SPACE 


REVIEW • TOPGUN: FIRE AT WILL 





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System Requirements: 
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Designer: Ken Allen 
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Great Balls 
Of Fire 

Spectrum Holo Byte’s Action Flight 
Sim is A License That Thrills 


by Robin G. Kim 


( heck any flight sim fan’s 
videotape collection and 
more likely than not you'll 
find a copy of Top Gun. 

What the action flick lacked 
in accuracy it made up for in 
enthralling action and fantas- 
tic jet footage. That formula, 
which made the movie a 
huge success, has been car- 
ried into Spectrum HoloByte’s latest flight 
simulation. Top Gun: Fire at Will! isn’t 
the most realistic sim you’ll fly; but its non- 
stop action should keep you glued to the 
screen. 

TOP Gun attempts to capture the 
excitement, the camaraderie, and even 
the attitude of the movie and its charac- 
ters. This time it’s you, not lorn Cruise, 
playing the role of Maverick, a hot shot F- 
14 Tomcat pilot with a chip on his shoul- 
der. You’ll start at Miramar NAS, where 
you and your wise-cracking RIO, Merlin, 
compete for the Top Gun trophy. From 
there, events take you and your comrades 
on a series of missions span- 
ning three theaters. 


THE NEED FOR SPEED 

Missions arc tied togeth- 
er using full-motion video 
clips which are mostly well 
done— the few' cheesy 
background sets are more 
than made up for by the 
great footage of real carrier 
operations. The acting is 
generally good; the charac- 
ters may seem larger than 
life, but they fit the cocky 


fighter pilot theme per- 
fectly, and are always 
entertaining. That’s for- 
tunate, because they’re 
with you all the time as 
you play the game, from 
voice-overs during briefings and debriefin- 
gs to the ubiquitous radio chatter during 
missions. The w ealth of video and digi- 
tized speech allow you to get to know' the 
characters quickly and immerse yourself 
in the compelling, but mostly linear, story 
line. Some may be put off by all this chit- 
chat, but turning off speech is ill-advised, 
as some radio messages are vital. 

A good story is fine, but air combat is 
the heart of the game. Almost all missions 
involve air-to-air work, with only the occa- 
sional recoil or surface strafing assign- 
ment. The 50-plus missions (including a 
set of standalone practice missions) are 
varied and unpredictable enough to 
remain fresh and exciting till the end. As 
an added bonus, Spectrum promises to 
post a new mission file each month on the 


> GROUND CLUTTER An Su-27 flies over an uninspiringly 
rendered Grand Canyon. 


WINDOW DRESSING Pop-up windows simplify getting in- 
flight information for beginning F-14 drivers; real instruments 
are available as well. 


company’s web page. 

TERRAIN BY MONET 

With all options maxed out, TOP Gun’s 
graphics look truly impressive at 640x480 
resolution, and not bad at all at 320x200. 
Detail levels and resolution can be 
changed on the fly. (You may want to turn 
down the detail when your mission has 
you flying low' to the ground, to increase 
the game’s frame rate.) The stunningly 
detailed aircraft graphics are the best 
around, and the sea and translucent cloud 
renderings are also state of the art . 
Unfortunately, the terrain graphics don’t 
live up to the same standards— they have 
a blotchy look reminiscent of an impres- 
sionistic oil painting. Because most of the 
sim’s action takes place over 10,000 feet, 
the poor terrain graphics rarely detract 
from the gaming experience. (To get 
sharper terrain renderings, start the game 
by typing TOPGUN SUPERHI, but 
expect an extreme frame rate hit.) Though 
indistinct, the landscape is far from bor- 
ing, featuring rolling hills, rivers, and cities. 

BALANCING ACT 

If you’re expecting a hard-core F-14 
simulation like F-14 FLEET DEFENDER 
with better graphics and a plot grafted on, 
stop right here. Top Gun makes no 
attempt at total realism — if most of your 
enjoyment of the namesake movie came 


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SIMULATION/SPACE 


REVIEW • TOPGUN: FIRE AT WILL 



^ GETTING HOOKED Carrier traps can be tricky, but the ILS 
I needles guide you right in. 

from pointing out its technical errors, TOP 
Gun is probably not for you. Tills isn’t to 
say TOP CllN is a pure arcade game, how- 
ever. Easier to learn than many flight sims, 
it doesn’t forsake all simulation elements, 
and the highest of the many difficult}’ set- 
tings should prove challenging for even 
the seasoned flight sim pilot. 

The flight model (loosely based on 



T op Gun: Fire at Will! supports serial, modem, 
and IPX network connections. Players can divide 
into up to four teams with up to 16 human play- 
ers total, or go it alone in one big free-for-all. 
Either way, optional computer opponents can be added to 
keep everyone on their toes; the computer’s F-14s look just 
like those of the human players. 

Except for the rare 
program crash, the 
multiplayer modes are 
stable and very easy 
to use. Players can 
join or leave battles in 
progress at any time, 
though after you die 
you’re annoyingly 
forced to go to the 
status screen to 
see your results, 
and then wait for 
the sim module 
to reload. 

* of some. Modem play 

between two Pentium systems 
! using 28.8 was silky smooth, with absolutely no 
warping or discernable delays. Compared with standalone 
play, there is a slight frame rate decrease, but that’s a small 
price to pay for a warp-free environment. Performance over 
a network is just as good. 

The only downsides to the multiplayer modes are that 
gun hits are way too easy, and there’s no way to choose 
your armament— you always get a preset missile load. 
Setting up a guns-only fight is not a problem if all players 
agree to it, but if computer opponents are added in, mis- 
siles are a must. 



FALCON 3.0’s Hi-Fi model) is fairly good, 
with a nice fluid feel. Allhough the plane’s 
low speed handling is better than it should 
be— making landings pretty easy— buf- 
feting and stalls will bite you if you’re care- 
less. I he model is accurate enough to 
reward realistic tactics and energy man- 
agement— yanking all the way back on 
the stick all the time will get you nowhere. 

Missile modeling is simplified, but the 
weapons exhibit the proper performance 
differences. Dodging enemy missiles can 
be difficult; the key is to beam radar-guid- 
ed missiles, turn toward heat- 
seekers, and drop plenty of 
countermeasures when they get 
close. Cun kills are far too easy, 
however— just getting the gun- 
sight in the same area code as 
the target is often enough to 
ensure a hit. 

Solo missions arc rare— 
you’ll usually be accompanied 
by one or more wingmen. They 
can’t be issued orders, but they 
at least keep you informed of 
what they’re up to. In fact, 
sometimes they even tell you what to do, 
such as perform a bracket or drag maneu- 
ver. The A1 of both your wingmen and 
your opponents is very good, though they 
do tend to get target fixation. Protecting 
your wingmen is vital not only for tactical 
reasons, but because the death of any pri- 
mary character will end the game. 

RADAR RIDERS 

Like US Navy' Fighters, Top Gun 
features easy to use pop-up information 
windows overlaid on a HUD-only view, 
though a full cockpit with instrumenta- 
tion can also be selected for those who 
prefer the added realism. T he apparent 
goal was to maximize the player’s situa- 
tional awareness, so the radar shows a 360 
degree view of all objects around the air- 
craft. An optional arrow symbol points 
toward the greatest threat, be it a nearby 
bandit or an incoming missile. The virtual 
cockpit panning view mode is among the 
best around; it’s fast and provides good 
visual cues to keep you oriented. Horn 
this mode you can also padlock on tar- 
gets, though sometimes it won’t lock onto 
a target in plain sight. 


LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELING 

Top Gun has one serious compatibility 
problem afflicting a significant number of 
players (this reviewer included) — on 
some systems, the game often crashes at 
the completion of a mission, ('flic story 
can be continued after a crash by reboot- 
ing and reloading the LASTMISSION 
file, a workable but annoying solution.) 
Spectrum HoloByte is working on a patch 
to address this. If this bug doesn't affect 
you, though, you should find the program 
rock-solid. 


Top Gun offers an intriguing blend of 
Hollywood-style dogfighting action, a 
decent dose of flight sim realism, and a 
story' that keeps you coming back for 
more. Tire atmosphere is so engrossing 
that you do feel like you’re part of a story'. 
Add a variety of smooth performing mul- 
tiplayer options into the mix for long term 
play value, and you come up with a pack- 
age that you’ll want to head to when you 
— as Maverick said — "feel the need.” 


►APPEAL: Die-hard fans of the 
movie, flight sim novices or serious 
sim fans ready for a break from reali- 
ty; or Wing Commander veterans look- 
ing for new challenges. 

►PROS: Action-filled missions with 
great atmosphere and an intriguing 
storyline. Solid and fun network and 
modem play. 

►CONS: Blotchy terrain graphics. 
Constant radio 
chatter can get 
annoying, espe- 
cially when reply- 
ing missions. 

Frequent program 
lock-ups occur on 
some configura- 
tions. 



► SORRY, SIR If you screw up in training, you can 
count on Hondo to chew you out. 





cc 


MAY 1996 



CUTTING EDGE 




Your other hand tightens around the ThrustMaster. F-16 
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Suddenly, the MiG falls into the funnel of your HUD. 
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Circle Reader Service if 129 










TERRY COLEMAN *1 STRATEGY/WARGAHES 



miu 


j n The Multimedia 

hit!” Just think for a minute how many 
bad sci-fi films this approach 
spawned-you probably can’t even 
remember them all— and imagine how 
many game producers out there are say- 
ing: “Well, J.D., all we need 
to do is have some tanks 
running around blasting 
stuff, some big-name actors, 
or bad voice-over talent by 
people who’ve never played 
a game; toss in some SVGA 
graphics and some multi- 
media from the historical 
conflict, and we’ve got our- 
selves a winner!" 

Wien the question is 
raised, usually by some con- 
cerned programmer or 
designer, why the game as 
designed has nothing to do with the real- 
life battle, one of the following responses 
is given: 


EXQUISITE CHATEAUX So what if the soldier icons 
are as big as the trees? The look and feel of 
Talonsoft's Battleground: Waterloo will likely put 
Napoleon back on the gaming map. 


1. “Well, let’s make it science-fiction. 
That way, they can’t nail us for being non- 
historical.” 


If mar- 
keters had 
their way, 
Napoleon 
games would 
only be 
insipid sci-fi 

rip-offs. 99 


J hen it’s 
done well 
and kept 
in per- 
spective, 
multime- 
dia can 
actually 
enhance 
historical 

wargames, whether it’s the voice-over of 
the Gennan General Staff adjutant in 
Panzer General, or the more visual cues 
from Battleground: Getiysburg. 
Certainly, the gorgeous graphics of those 
two games didn’t hurt them at the box 
office, either. But their success is inspiring 
others-for all the wrong reasons. I’m 
reminded of movie executives, who saw 
Star Wars as a formula for success: “See, 
J.D., all we need to do is to have some 
cute robots, nasty-looking aliens, and a 
lotta special effects, and we got us a sure 


►The Great Battles of Alexander, 
much like its historical counter- 
part (who died young), has met 
with an untimely fate. Seems SSI 
was tired of waiting, and told 
Erudite Software and GMT Games 
(the boardgame designers) to 
take their act elsewhere. It’s a 
real shame, because Alexander is 
one of the rare board wargames 
worth converting to silicon for- 
mat. The sophisticated design 
has the best model for unit cohe- 
sion and command control of any 
Ancients warfare game ever pub- 
lished-and it’s fairly easy (as 


wargames go) to play. If the 
designers of the computer game 
can work out the bugs in their Al 
code, this is a sure-fire winner. 
Rumor has it that two other major 
wargame publishers are 
interested-we’ll keep you posted. 
►Other Ancients news: Mindscape 
(SSI’s owner) has revived plans to 
publish Legions Empire. The big 
flaw of Legions was its lack of a 
tactical module, which will evi- 
dently be solved by an adaptation 
of the Warhammer combat 
engine-don’t hold your breath. 
►The Software Publishers’ 


2. “This game is in real-time. Those old 
boardgame guys just don’t gel it. If they 
complain, we’ll tell ‘cm their reflexes 
aren’t good enough to be a real general.” 

3. Tell them we didn’t want to be 
restricted by hindsight, so we’re exploring 
historically viable alternatives.” 

4. “What are you talking about? 
Nobody cares about that historical stuff 
except a few old greybeards; most people 
just want to blow things up. Don’t you 
hmw anything about this market?” 

This mentality rears its ugly head most 
prominently whenever the subject of pre- 
twentieth century wargames comes 
up-no tanks, no jet planes, no cool explo- 
sions, a lot of worried marketing people. 
Sure, the American Civil War is suddenly 



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Circle Reader Service it ISO 


TERRY COLEMAN 


a hoi topic again, largely because 
Talonsofts BATTLEGROUND: GliXlYSBURG 
is selling quite briskly. But while I enjoy 
pitting Lee vs. Grant as much as anyone, 1 
can’t help but feel sorry for Napoleon. It’s 
been years since U’ Petit General had a 
hit. There hasn’t been a good Napoleonic 
wargame since SSI did Battles of 
Napoleon, which sold less than 10,000 
copies, according to the publisher. The 
last big-budget attempt to place 
Bonaparte on the computer was the ill- 
fated Fields of Glory by Spectrum 
HoloByte. Despite the game’s luscious 
graphics, it didn’t exactly break sales 
records, proof that gamers arc much more 
savvy than marketing folks give them 
credit for. 

SHINY NEW NAPPY 

So it comes as somewhat of a surprise 
that a few companies are actually bringing 
new campaigns of Napoleon to 
market-albeit with a little caution. 'Hie 
most prominent of these is Talonsofts 
Battleground: Waieri-oo, and the 
obvious question is whether the game sys- 
tem can make the transition from the 
American Civil War to Europe in 1815, 
while retaining enough historical flavor 
and play balance. 

Bob McNamara ofTalonsoft thinks so. 
Boardgamers will recognize Bob as “Mr. 
Advanced Squad Leader” from his design 
years at Avalon Hill, and it was Bob’s input 
that resulted in many of the positive 
changes to the Battleground system 
between ARDENNES and GetiYSBURC. 
From what I’ve seen so far. Bob and the 
other folks atTalonsoft have good reason 
to be excited about their new war child. 

Waterloo's most obvious difference 
from GETIYSBURC is the range of the 
smoothbore musket, much shorter than 
the rifled musket more common in the 
Civil War. This has immediate effects on 
tactics, which are accentuated by the for- 
mation options available. In addition to 
fonning in line or column, units may also 
be “unformed.” An unfonned group of 
units won’t suffer the negative effects of 
disruption, but they neither move as 
effectively as a column nor fight as well as 
units in line. An example of how a unit 



Association strives to position itself as 
an oasis of ethics in a turbulent indus- 
try, as evidenced by their strong stand 
against software piracy. But those lofty 
aspirations don’t help the average 
gamer to understand where SPA is 
coming from when it hands out the 
annual "Codies" awards (check out the 
SPA winners in our Read. Me section). 
In a year with Warcraft II, Steel 
Panthers, Battleground: Gettysburg, 
Heroes of Might & Magic, and Command 
& Conquer, among other strong candi- 
dates, the Best Strategy Game Award 
from SPA went to the pretty, but ago- 
nizingly incomplete design of 
Ascendancy. Maybe the judges should 
actually play some of the games in the 
category before voting next year? 
►Maxis has a lot of interesting projects 
in the works. SimCity 2000 is going on- 
line, with real-time action that lets you 
I play cooperatively or competitively. 


,SimPark lets you design a national park, 
place it anywhere in North America, and fill 
jit with the animals you want. No word yet 
■on how this game reconciles the Contract 
|With America and the Birch Society. 

^Pax Imperia II has been delayed until late 
jSummer, possibly as late as September. For 
’those of you who’ve never had the pleasure 
jof playing the original Pax (only on the 
•Mac), Pax II looks every bit as grand in 
■scope as the venerable Master of Orion, 
jbut differently-flavored, with the option of 
playing either real-time or turn-based. 
►Incredible Simulations next “last stand” 
■game, Zuluwar!, will probably be their 
;biggest hit yet. Jeff Lapkoff has secured the 
■services of Dennis Bishop, who brings both 
;a knowledge of history and a background of 
■clean, enjoyable wargame designs (Dennis’ 
■board wargame Like Lions They Fought, 
■published in Command magazine, is an 
^enjoyable romp through Zululand). 



Circle Reader Service #239 


STRATEGY/ WAR6 AMES 





Obliterate enemy ports 

USING NAVAL WARSHIPS 


Strongarm Presidents, 
Prime Ministers and 
Commanders 


Assemble squadrons 

OF LETHAL AIRCRAFT 


T he battle rages on. Two opponents. 

Two strategies. The year is 1941 and 
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appear on the horizon, marking the _ 
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prepare you for more! 

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Available now or coming soon to: 


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Nintendo, Nintendo Entertainment System, and 
Microsoft. Microsoft Windows, and the official t 
© 1995, 1996 KOEI Corp., All rights reservod. 


Circle Reader Service /fill 





TERRY COLEMAN 



Warcraft ll-Tired of waiting for your 
peons to finish work on your much- 
needed Gryphon Aviary or other build- 
ings? Assign one peon to build the 
structure, and then assign other peons 
to go to the construction site and begin 


“repairing” it. The more peons you 
assign to repair duty, the faster the 
structure will be built. Soon, as your 
army of peons hammer away at the con- 
struction site, your anticipated Gryphon 
Aviary will spring to life. 

Derrick Chin, Fremont, CA 

Allied General-Can't seem to get major 


victories in the North African Campaign? 
You don’t have the time to be as delib- 
erate as Monty was historically, so just 
build better units. Matilda lls are the 
best way to keep the desert sands out 
of your shoes; buy at least two, prefer- 
ably three, and expect to take a few 
losses along the way .-Terry Coleman 


might become unformed would be 
infantry trying to move through a village 
while remaining in line— it simply isn’t 
going to happen. Thus, the “unformed" 
nile is a good way of simulating the practi- 
cal realities of a given situation-making us 
grognards happy-while keeping the 
games mechanics relatively simple. 

Similar methods arc used to model 
cavalry charges, a must in any Napoleonic 
game. In the movement phase, cavalry 
first declares charges. Then the infantry in 
its path desperately tries to fonn into 
square formation; its success or failure is 
based on the unit’s troop quality, already a 
cornerstone of the BATTLEGROUND sys- 
tem. Then there is the customary defen- 
sive fire phase, any enemy cavalry 
counter-charge attempts, and then the 
charge is resolved during the melee 
phase. ‘I he design team is also consider- 
ing letting a cavalry unit charge a target 
more than one turn’s ride away, provided 
it makes all troop quality and morale 
checks. Skinnishers likewise depend on 
troop quality in order to attempt with- 
drawal before melee. 

Waterloo has a number of cosmetic 
changes to keep the marketing folks 
happy as well. The sprites are 50 percent 
larger than in GETIYSBURG, and the 
Battleview cutaway hexagon view has 
never looked better. More importantly, 
though, the scenarios have a great deal of 
variety and “what-if” scenarios. What if 
Grouchy had shown to help Napoleon? 
What if Bluchers Pmssians had arrived 
later, earlier, or not at all? Mow would 
Wellington’s reverse-slope defense have 
fared if the French had attacked over a dry' 
field in the morning, instead of a morass 
of mud in the afternoon? 

BG: Waterloo's competition comes 
mainly from the Old Guard of Avalon 


Hill, whose Waterloo board game is being 
convertcd-1960s ailes intact— to a ‘90s 
PC palate (see last month’s “19th Century' 
Warfare” feature for details). While you’re 
waiting for AH orTalonsoft to meet their 
Waterloo, you might check out 
Napoleon toe Emperor, a Windows 
turn-based game by Reality Engine 
Computer Games. It looks a lot like 
Battles of Napoleon, but is even sim- 
pler to play. Essentially, you choose a for- 
mation, give it an order, do the same with 
your other units, and execute your grand 
strategy by ending the turn. Since the Al 
has a limited amount of things to keep up 
with, it isn’t bad. All in all, the game is a lot 


like Sw'fle’s GltIYSBURG game, without 
the arcade-ish artillery of that game. 'Hie 
shareware version of Napoleon toe 
Emperor is available on CCWsZiffNct 
forum, or you can order the registered ver- 
sion by calling 800-2424-PsL - or 713-524- 
6394, or by FAX to 713-524-6398 or by 
CompuServe e-mail to 71355,470. 

If this “Napoleonic maneuver” 
becomes a trend in this industry, I’ll be 
among the first to cheer. For now, though, 
I’ll he satisfied if the games just get 
released with no cute robots, arcade curi- 
assers, or bad voice-overacting in Pidgin 
French. Until next time, Happy 
Hougomont.c 



Circle Reader Service #239 


STRATEGY/WARGAMES 





STRATEGY/WARGAMES 


SHEAR PREVIEW • MISSION FORCE: CYBERSTORM 


A Universe of 
Possibilities 

The Spacelanes Will Soon Be Overrun With Bioderms and HERCs 


by Scott May 


f SNEAK 
.'PREVIEW 

GAME STILL IN DEVELOPMENT 



ybrid games can be a curi- 
I ous, adventuresome experi- 
I cnee, sort of like ordering 
I food at a strange Chinese 
I restaurant: take one item 
I from column A, another 
I from column B, and so on. 
I 'lire result can be either 
I delightfully delicious or 
I completely unpalatable. 
Happily, Siena’s MlSSIONFORCE: 
CYBERSTORM falls squarely into the first 
category— a tasty blend of strategy, role- 
playing, arcade and miniature board gam- 
ing. 

Viewed from a distance, this Windows 
95 game is far from original, borrowing 
elements of titles both past (Infogamc’s 
1990 sleeper, FULL METAL PlANRT) and 
present (Activision’s M ECU Warrior 2). 
The key difference is style and delivery', 
qualities Cyberstorm has in abundance, 
'loss in some cutting-edge bells and whis- 
tles — in the fomi of modem, network and 
Internet multiplayer options— and the 




f HEX MARKS THE SPOT Some of Cyberstorm’s strengths are 
its many units, intuitive hex-based battlefield and a straight- 
forward interface. 


game stands tall on its 
own merits. 

You begin the game 
as a lowly ensign, fresh 
out of the training 
academy, assigned to 
an off-world military 
command post. Your 
employer, a faceless 
and no-nonsense cor- 
poration called 
UNitech, doesn't pull 
punches when it 
comes to your chances 
for survival. In the 
opening sequence, the 
company is brutally frank to new recruits: 
“UNitech doesn’t give a damn about 
you,” the directive reads. “If you screw- up, 
we ll strand you on a barren moon some- 
where with a beacon strapped around 
your neck guaranteed to attract every 
Cybrid in the sector." Kinda gives you a 
warm, fuzzy feeling, doesn’t it? 

Cybrids, as you may have gathered, are 
the enemy— a hostile race of mechanized 
warriors whose territorial aggression is 
matched only by their ingenuity in battle. 
UNI tech’s weapons against the Cybrids 
are a fleet of more than 25 HERCs (mas- 
sive, building-sized robot tanks), fully 
adaptable to each mission’s terrain type, 
offensive goals and defensive require- 
ments. Because human physiology has 
failed to keep pace with machine technol- 
ogy, UNitech created artificial beings, 
called Bioderms, which arc directly linked 
to the HERCs, yet remain under your 
control. 

Your task is to create unique Bioderms 
from the genetic ingredients available to 
you at the MERC command center, inte- 


grate them with the machines, and over- 
see each missions operations. First, visit 
the BioVat to cook up a suitable Biodcnn, 
rated in attributes such as piloting, 
weapons skills, health, age, genetic stabili- 
ty, leadership and tech level. These bio- 
mechanical marvels arc created from a 
Base Genetic Matrix (BCM) pool, cloned 
from the DNA of history’s greatest leaders. 
The further you advance in the game, the 
more pow erful BG.V1 models you can 
access. 

Next, stop by the VR Training facility to 
enhance your Biodenn’s initial qualities. 

I he more powerful and experienced a 
Biodenn becomes, the higher up the 
genetic ladder it climbs. Advanced 
Biodcnn classifications, each containing a 
five-tier sub-ranking, include Protoderm, 
Cytodenn, Plastoderm, Ccnodenn and 
Metaderm. 

Finally, you must link Bioderm pilots 
with the I lERCs, which in turn can be 
customized for the mission at hand. Care 
for wounded Bioderms at the MedVat, 
where you can regenerate, stabilize or 



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And it was good. 

Now you’re ready to be God. Now you’re ready for Destiny. 

You make all the decisions that affect your destiny. 

You control the development of mankind -- from Stone Age to Space Age. 
And ultimately, you determine the fate of the entire universe. 




In the tradition of the great strategy games that came before it, Destiny puts you in 
charge. But unlike any God game you’ve ever played, or even seen before, Destiny 

allows you to walk among your 
subjects in a 3-D world. Now you 
can strategize like a real general 
-- hide your troops behind a hill 
and take the enemy by surprise! 


With Destiny, you don’t have to 
play a full campaign. Choose 
from multiple scenarios with 
both military and scientific 
victory options. Pit yourself 
against a highly intuitive AI 
operating under Win ‘95® or 
compete via network or modem. 





INTEUAl ll\ h I iXIl.NOLOGII.S LTD 


Look for the DESTINY Demo! 

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Civilization is a registered trademark of MicroProse. SimCtiy is a registered trademark of Maxis. Win ‘95 is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. 

© 1996 Interactive Magic. All rights reserved. 

Circle Reader Service if 106 



STRATEGY/ WARG AMES 


SMEAR PREVIEW • MISSION FORCE: CYBERSTORM 




►TRY ON SOME GENES Screw the pilots union— cook up your 
own synthetic pilots and train them the way you want them in 
the Bioderm lab. 

detox damaged pilots. 1 f your alter egos the 

are beyond hope or disappointingly inept, 
you can recycle them back into protoplas- 
mic soup, regaining a fraction of your ini- 
tial credit investment. 

All of this high-tech outfitting takes 
money, of which you have little. You begin 
with 10,000 credits, and additional credits 
and bonuses are awarded based on mis- 


Biodenns, which further limits 
your abilities. Take heart, however; 
the early missions are relatively 
easy, allowing you to quickly 
advance in rank, build resources 
and expand your military reach. As 
expected, when you progress fur- 
ther, the difficulty of your tasks and 
the rewards increase proportionally. 
When you’re not blasting Cybrids, 
most missions allow you to earn 
credits mining ore, a task that harks 
back to the HERCs’ non-military 
origins. 

CYBERSTORM defaults to one- 
player, single mission mode with 
four possible skill levels. Drop by 
the HERC centers Comm facility to 
choose from available missions at your 
present level of command. Tutorials pro- 
vide hands-on training in managing 
resources, selecting missions and control- 
ling battlefield forces. You can also 
embark on a career, where the goal is to 
rise through the ranks, build a fleet of 
sophisticated HERCs and a roster of 


sion success and overall performance. 
Ensigns arc also restricted to owning no 
more than three HERCs and three 



T he Cyberstorm universe comprises three 

major star systems: Paracelsus (your starting 
point), lonis and M138, each containing a 
multiple array of planets. You must complete 
all required planetary missions before advancing to the 
next system. Mission types fall into three categories: 
Reconnaissance, Mining and Military. In Recon, your goal 
is to map unknown terrain and any Cybrid presence. 
Mining expeditions require that you gather a specified per- 
centage of ore, while repelling Cybrid interference. Military 
missions can be either defensive (protecting a HERC 
installation) or offensive (search and destroy Cybrid facili- 
ties or forces). The final mission in each star system- 
termed Elite Military— is to destroy the Cybrid home base. 

As HERC commander; you could wage a straight 
.march through each star system’s mission lineup. A 
more lucrative— and dangerous— strategy is to stick 
around to replay the planetary missions dozens, or con- 
ceivably even hundreds, of times. Boring? Not a chance, 
thanks to the program’s random mission generator, which 
ensures different terrain, battlefield layout and Cybrid 
forces every time you play. The advantage of prolonged 
service in a single star system is to continue earning 
credits, building your HERC and Bioderm forces, and 
advancing in rank. The disadvantage is that the more mis- 
sions you complete and the more Cybrids you defeat, the 
more difficult each regenerated mission becomes. 


experienced Biodenns. 

Missions unfold on a four-way scrolling 
planetary map, its surface patterned by a 
traditional hexagonal grid. Though 
viewed primarily from an overhead per- 
spective, the varied terrain, outposts, ships 
and HERCs are rendered in vivid, ani- 
mated 3-D, like a miniatures game 
brought to life. Map controls let you rotate 
the playing field, zoom in for tactical bat- 
tles, and zoom out for a broad strategic 
overview. Unless otherwise specified (in 
the game’s extensive preference menu), 
the game plays in tum-based combat. A 
HERCs movement per turn is limited to 
the energy generated by its reactor. 

Simply plot a path with one mouse click, 
note the potential drain on your energy 
resources, and click again to set the 
HERC in motion. Direct your forces 
toward a common goal, or split them up 
to perfonu different tasks simultaneously. 

Both movement and combat can take 
place in the same turn. Tire fire menu lets 
you individually select which weapon sys- 
tems are active during combat. Some 
weapons, such as lasers and missiles, 
require reloading after each firing, which 


calls into play important tactical decisions. 
The game features a massive number of 
weapon upgrades, incrementally offered 
as you rise higher in rank. The probability 
of a hit is displayed before firing, based on 
your pilot's skill level, distance, line of fire 
and selected weapon. Another fascinating 
aspect of combat is precise control of 
each ITERC’s defensive shields. You begin 
with equal deployment along the six-sided 
hex outline, but can quickly redistribute 
power to the side from which you're cur- 
rently taking a pounding. Damage reports 
and internal systems monitoring is avail- 
able throughout the mission. 

Overall, battlefield controls are straight- 
forward and easily mastered, thanks to 
onscreen help and an intuitive screen lay- 
out. This is a dark and moody game, filled 
with sparse but ambient sound effects, 
voice-overs and a dramatic cinematic 
music. Arcade lovers may initially dislike 
the game’s slow, deliberate pace or its lack 
of in-your-face mech action. But once the 
strategic and tactical nuances take hold, 
they’ll discover a game that offers much 
deeper rewards. 

The beta preview copy ran slow as 
cybersnails, even on a PCI-equipped 
Pentium 90 system with 16 MB of RAM 
and a quad-speed CD-ROM drive 
(excessive overhead for what is essentially 
a strategy game). At the time of this writ- 
ing, minimum hardware requirements 
were not yet available, but judging by the 
game’s pre-release perfonnance, it’s safe 
to say that anyone at the low end of the 
system scale— 486/DX2 66 MHz with 8 
MB of RANT — will face constant frustra- 
tion. The product’s multiplayer options— 
modem, network and Internet connec- 
tions — could not be tested, but seem 
almost certain to cause further perfor- 
mance degradation, even on high-end 
gaming systems. Hopefully, Sierra will 
iron out these problems in the final 
release. Anyone remember “Outpost?” 
‘Nuff said. But if the designers stay on 
track, and fix some niggling system 
requirement problems, then 
MissionForce: Cyberstorm has the 
potential to become a major crossover hit, 
appealing to both veteran strategy gamers 
and today’s mech-obsessed action crowd.% 


A 


HAY 1996 



Download the Demo 
http://www.retorntire.com 

Don't just stand there. 
Return Fire on PlayStation. 
Saturn and Windows Si 


Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. 


[AG. YOU'RE DEAD 


Your front line looks like Swiss cheese, 
and your tank's in flames. If you 
don't retreat and regroup, the flag's 
going to fall. And you’re gonna 

- ' get tagged. 

In Return Fire, firepower 
is key, but strategy 

^ is what keeps you 

"W f' r alive. From heli- 
J copters that make Apaches 
look like Pocahontas, to 

— tanks straight out of your 
worst nightmares, your mission 

is to disable enemy forces, blow your 
way into hostile territory and retrieve 
the flag with a ground-pounding jeep. 
But this is no one-sided kill-test. 
Your enemy is in your face trying to 
do the same thing to you. 


With superb overall detail, 
major multimedia video, and a 
killer stereo soundtrack, Return 
Fire is an all-out firelight that 
keeps you thinking all the time But 
don’t think too long. Because there’s 
a battalion of bad guys just looking to 
put the tag on you. 


Take it before they do. 



DEADLOCK 

Seven desperate species are locked in a fierce struggle to conquer a 
precious world. With life itself in the balance, one goal drives them all. 
Take the world by whatever means necessary. Or perish. 


DEADLOCK 

An intense strategic simulation within a richly-detailed 3D environment. 
Conquer your world alone or crush up to six human opponents in real-time 
Internet, local area network, modem, or e-mail play. 


DEADLOCK 

It's your turn. Take it. 


Look for the Deadlock playable demo in select magazines or online at 
http://www.accolade.com 




"A Solid multi-player 
game fest.” 

—Computer Gaming World 

"Multi-player, city building, land 
exploring, alien busting fun." 

—Strategy Plus 

"Absorbing gameplay...the best visuals 
and sound effects that today’s 
technology offers.” 

—Next Generation 

For Windows 95 and 
Windows 3.1 CD-ROM 



v rroi \r%wz 

m-UU LTUIL 


Call 1-800-245-7744 to order, or for more information. 

Deadlock is a a trademark of Accolade, Inc. ©1996 Accolade, all rights reserved 
Circle Reader Service H42 


RP 

'jv; 

iMriTitm 


STRATEGY/ WARG AMES 


REVIEW ’ SPACE BUCKS 







Price: $54.95 
System Requirements: 

Windows 3.1 or 95, 
486-33 or better, 8 MB 
RAM, SVGA graphics, 
hard drive space, 2x 
CD-ROM drive, mouse; 
supports SoundBlaster 
and Windows compati- 
ble sound cards 
# of Players: 1 
Protection: None (CD 
must be in drive) 
Designer: David Lester 
Publisher: Sierra 
Bellevue, WA 
206-649-9800 
ReadBr Service #: 329 


Space Bust? 

A Galactic Enterprise That Doesn’t Quite Lift Off 



by Martin E. Cirulis 

all me a hopeless optimist, or 
just a geek who hasn’t accept- 
ed the fact that humanity’s 
reach for the stars stalled 
nearly 30 years ago on the 
moon’s pocked face; but for 
me, a future in space means 
endless opportunities and sur- 
prises. This feeling pervades 
most of what 1 write, and 
even colors my thoughts on game design 
to the point that when I pick up a game 
with a science fiction twist, I hope to find 
a little more between the bits than 1 nor- 
mally would from an analogous modem 
or historical game. Unfortunately, my 
high hopes for SF titles have brought me 
disappointment more than once, and I’m 
afraid this newest outing into the depths 
of space is less than stellar. What we have 
is another “Buck" tycoon game from 
Imprcssions/Sicrra — and, while SPACE 
Bucks has the look and feel of a top- 
notch SF game, it takes very little scratch- 
ing to find a simulation simple and repeti- 
tive enough to make TRANSPORT TYCOON 
seem like CAPITALISM. 

SPACE MERCHANT PRINCE 

Although nowhere in the 
game is there an acknowl- 
edgment to The Old 
Master, the initial premise of 
SPACE Bl JCKS (SB) is remi- 
niscent of the Merchant 
Prince section of Isaac 
Asimovs Foundation saga. 

Here you are, a young entre- 
preneur from a culture just 
clawing its way back from 
an interstellar Dark Age, 
and commerce seems like 
just the thing to get the lost 
colonics of the galaxy back 
on speaking terms. The 
twist here is that you arc not 


alone in this galaxy, as the good ol’ 
humans must compete against the com- 
panies of four alien neighbors. 

Each game starts in a random galaxy of 
over a hundred stars. SB assumes each 
star consists of a single planet, inhabited 
by one of the five galactic races and offer- 
ing at least two of the four basic trade 
commodities of the Galaxy; Passengers, 
Food, Ore and Fuel. The amount of these 


trade commodities is low on undeveloped 
worlds and gets higher as you ascend the 
six levels of the socio-economic scale. 

You begin the game with a single star- 
port on your homcworld and a single tiny 
starship. In order to expand, you must 
negotiate with neighboring worlds for 
exclusive rights to build a starport. The 
prices vary. Less developed worlds will 
gladly take a small quarterly fee, while 
well-developed worlds will often demand 
big payments to get at their impressive 
output, as well as costly favors like restau- 
rants or even sport arenas. And if it wasn’t 
difficult enough to balance the cost of 
landing rights against possible income, 
there is also the danger of becoming 
involved in an expensive bidding war if 
you bid on a world near a competitor’s 
trade lanes. 

I aickily, you can create industries on 
these worlds that will produce more valu- 
able cargoes. Fuel becomes chemicals, 
ore can be processed into metals, and 
each race has a special Cood it can pro- 
duce that really rakes in the profit if you 
can find another world interested in it. 






From Sumter to Appomattox 



FATEFUL LIGHTNING 




2 CD’s 

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Its 1861 and the nation is divided against itself. Brother 
against brother. Father against son. You stand at the brink of 
one of the greatest apocalypse, the American Civil War. 

Confederate or Union, history buff or strategic gaming fan, 
with its great attention to detail and dead-on realism, American 
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Play American Civil War, From Sumter to Appomattox 
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Strategy Game 

91 Play the entire Civil War, Union or Confederate 
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te' V' 

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H Choose from various political and military victory options. 

H Recruit and organize your own Divisions, Corps, or Armies. 

Bonus CD! Narrated Historical Multimedia CD 

W Review the War through narrative text, interactive maps, color 
graphics, and recordings. 

M Watch exciting video clips of recent battle reenactments. 

■ Listen to the songbook including history and lyrics 

representing famous songs of the period or play as a separate 
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Look for the 
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Circle Reader Service if 108 
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STRATEGY/ WAR6AMES 


REVIEW • SPACE BUCKS 



USELESS GADGETS The ship customization is cool but not 
very useful; you don't really need weapons or shields 
because pirates hardly ever attack. 


And this brings us to the whole money- 
making process of SB: moving cargoes 
from supply worlds to consumer worlds 
by creating trade routes for your ships to 
follow. A few clicks of the mouse pro- 
duces a loop for a ship to travel; a few 
more give precise commands for what to 
pick up and deliver at each world. 

Of course, what would a transport 
empire stretching across the stars be with- 
out the starships to do the work? In SPACE 
BUCKS, players get to choose ready-made 
ships or design their own based on six 
hulls of varying cargo capacity and three 
other components: Engines, Shields and 
Weapons. All ships require an engine, but 
shields and weapons are optional and use- 
ful only in the (rare) event of a pirate 
attack. While all hull sizes arc available 
from the outset, the three additional com- 



ponents slide slowly up a six-tiered tech- 
nolog)' scale whose development is out- 
side the players control. Since this is basi- 
cally a transportation game, engine 
improvements that increase a ship’s speed 
and range should be coveted; the more 
worlds a ship can serve in one fiscal quar- 
ter, the more profits it can reap. 

Amidst the trade routes, there arc the 
usual assortment of random mishaps to 
plague you. Also, if the player chooses, the 
spaceways can be enlivened by espionage 
attacks, which range from making a rival’s 
world break its charter, to inducing pirates 
to attack competitors. The traditional pals 
of the Tycoon gamer, the dreaded bank 
and the lovable stock market, also make 
an appearance in SB, though in pretty 
basic fonns. 

With all this, you’d think that all SB 
needed was a little style to put the compo- 
nents together to create a game the equal 
of Air Bucks. Well... 

"WHERE'S THE CONGEALED- 
PROTEIN-SUBSTITUTE?" 

What bothers me the most about 
SPACE Bucks is the fact that it will proba- 
bly get a number of glowing reviews based 
on how good it looks and feels for the first 
couple of hours: the SVGA graphics are 
sharp and imaginative; the alien races are 
interesting; the random map and large 
numbers of worlds seem to offer extensive 
replayability; the ship building system 
appears to have all the traits you’d find in 
a fancy spaceploitation strategy game; and 
most importantly, Space Bucks is a child 
of the very successful Air Bucks. 

Despite all this, if you play further into 
the game, you find it devoid of the quality 
you’d expect from a sci-fi Tycoon game. 
The alien races have very little impact on 
the game and 1 would hazard that it 
makes no difference at all which one you 
choose to play. The ship designs are inter- 
esting but, except for cargo-size and 
engine speed, the variations are irrelevant 
(even the computer rarely amis or shields 
its ships). Space Bucks also display's 
either a gameplay “bug” or the worst A1 
cheating I have seen in recent years. It is 
so blatant, that in a game where your prof- 
its are supposedly proportional to your 


fleet, a computer player can lose every 
ship and still somehow gain money! 

Even worse, though, is the game 
design itself. It seems to me that a game 
about building a Galactic shipping 
empire should be more interesting than 
terrestrial commerce, not less — SPACE 
Bucks is so basic that each planet is less 
interesting than the smallest towns in 
RailRoad TYCOON. Even the sense of 
direct competition with your computer- 
ized companies is mostly lost by the fact 
that only one company may operate from 
a planet at a time. With no real contact 
between the companies, there is no need 
to w'orry about such important business 
concepts as advertising, service quality or 
even ticket prices. And what about taking 
advantage of the galactic venue? Instead 
of predictable random events like meteor 
swamis or earthquakes, why didn’t the 
designers think about the subject matter 
and plague our companies with outbreaks 
of war or strange alien viruses? I’m afraid 
SB has very little to do with its fine Airline 
predecessor, and far more to do with the 
same mediocrity that created the lamen- 
table Powerhouse. 

If you love to create ornate moving 
sculptures that generate endless money 
but do very little else interesting, then 
SPACE Bucks will have some appeal for 
you. Set at its hardest level, the game 
offers two or three hours of challenge 
before your empire grows to the point that 
nothing can really harm it and you simply 
sit around absorbing planets from your 
competitors and doing more and more 
unwieldy upgrades to your entire fleet. 
Other than that, it is pretty to look at, but 
definitely no AlR BUCKS in Space. 


►APPEAL: Gamers looking for a 
great-looking first few hours will have 
fun, but not those desiring extended 
gameplay. 

►PROS: Good-looking introductory 
Tycoon game. 

►CONS: Uninspired jQRjfi-.. 
design, simplistic [nffiSiH 
modeling, dubious Al ^ C 
“advantages” and 

very short-term chal- ^ 

lenge make this pHSHRSI 
game an “also ran” 1 1 1 j |3 I ] 
in the space race. 




CG 


MAY 1996 





Prepare for the 
Assault-We descend 
upon them with Fire! 



An action-packed multimedia 
gaming experience. 




In the grim darkness of the far future 
there is only war! 


WORKSHOP 


http://www.mindscape.com 

Copyrigtil 01996 Games Workshop Ltd and Mindscape. AD tights tesetved. Waihammei and the Games 
Woikshop logo ate registered trademarks ol Games Workshop Ltd. Oark Crusadeis is a trademark ol 
Games Wotkshop. Ltd. Mindscape s a registered trademark, and its logo is a trademark ol Mindscape. Inc. 



Circle Reader Service H 132 




ACCESS 
THROUGH 
INTERNET 
FOR ONLY 
$200 
per hour 


Kingdom of Drakkar 


P lay with thousands of gamers on the 
Information Super Highway and lose 
yourself in the graphic adventures 
and traditional games offered on the 
Multi-Player Games Network. 

MPG-NET gives you something you just 
can't find on a floppy disk. . .another 
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Now, MPG-NET goes all graphic! 

No more text menus. No headaches 
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Here's what else you’ll find: 

• Electronic Bulletin Boards filled 
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• Download files from our database 
and read the latest in gaming news, 
updates and stories from other 
members. It’s as easy as visiting 
your hometown library! 

• The Persona Creation Room-lets you 
generate a face to match your on-line 
personality! 

• Conference Rooms-have real-time 


• More games than you've ever seen 
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MPG-NET can be accessed with a local 
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>MK^NK fNiaVS ol 


conversations with people all over the 
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they look like! 


MPG-NET-twenty four hours a day, 
seven days a week, bringing you games 
that will take you out of this world! 

Call now: 1 -800-GET-GAME. 


• Electronic Mail-send and receive 
messages with all your friends and 
plan when to meet and play your 
favorite game! 


1994 MPG-NET, Inc. Multi-player 
Games Network and MPG-NET are 
service marks of MPG-NET, Inc. The 
Kingdom of Drakkar is a trademark of 
Drakkar Corp. Empire Builder is a 
trademark of Mayfair Games, Inc. 
Operation Market-Garden and Star 
Cruiser are trademarks of GDW 
Games, Inc. Fiefquest and Warlords 
of the Apocalypse are trademarks of 
the Dreamers Guild. All other brand 
and product names are trademarks or 
registered trademarks of their 
respective holders. 


Your Multi-Player Games Network ' 


Circle Reader Service If 135 

















sang _ . i 





BssiUse&flfisuaUiai inMu!Uw.e.4t 


A Passion for Art: Renoir, Cezanne. 
Matisse and Dr. Barnes 

Corfais Corporation - Hf/iraer 


Charlton Heston's 
Voyage Through The Bible 

Jones Interactive.lnt.- Frnsk 


Best Use of Music or Sound in Multimedia 

Juilliard Music Adventure 

Ttieatrin Interactive, Inc. - Wmet 


Best Overall Multimedia Production 


A Passion for Art: Renoir, Cezanne, 
Matisse and Dr. Barnes 

Corttis Corporation - Rnoftf 


Be}tHQmeQet}tivltyii?^tjt< 


Hollywood 

Theaetdntetittlvf.lflc- 

StudioM 

GddDsUnt.-ftwfif 


Best Home teaming Program tot Children 

Get Ready for School Charlie Brown! 

Virgin Sound and Vision - finafcr 


Juilliard Music Adventure 

Theatr:* Interattlvtlnc - llinrw 


jFaroSyPC 


SOFTWARI 
OF 1996 / 


Tlie following software lilies are finalisi 
winners of the prestigious Codie Aware 


Best Text ot Graphics Software Program 

trueSpace2 
CaBgari Corporation -Ftnoisr 


Best Early Childhood (K-31 
Education Software Program 
Dumptz Science Carnival 
Theatiix Interactive, Inc. - Hank 
Snoolz Math Trek 
iheatrix Interactive, Inc,- fiialist 
My Make Believe Castle 
[{St -toil! 


Best Horn? Learning Program forAdoleSCtt 

Lost Mind of Dr. Brain 

Siena On-line. In;.- Wmt 

One Small Square: Backyard 

Virgin Sound and Vision - FirafU 

Adi's Comprehensive Learning Systen 

Sierra On-line -Mat' 


Best Home Learning Ptoatam For Adults 

Nile: Passage to Egypt 
Discovery Channel Multimedia - Winner 


Best Edowtign Sofftv<i'c Upgrade 
Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia 

Mkrusoft Corporation - Winim 


Bestfidventute/Bole Playing 

Phantasmagoria 
Sierra On-Line - fina/isf 


Best Snorts Proatom 

IndyCar Racing II 
PapyrusDeshjn Gmup,lnc./Slerra On-lir 


You can win the Best Software of 1996 from the Software Publishers Association. 
Or a dazzling multimedia computer from NEC. Or a subscription to 
the world’s favorite computer magazines from Ziff-Davis. Just get your 
“Win the Winners” Sweepstakes entry form at any store listed below. 

Then get ready to take your place among the winners! 


The Best Multimedia Computer 

One lucky family will win a 
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The Best Software of 1996 

Over 200 families will win 
a package of two exciting new 
software titles from the distin- 
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You can pick your favorites from 
the top names in the business, 
education and entertainment 
software industries. 


The Best Magazine Subscription 

90 families will win a full year 
subscription to one of the leading 
industry publications from Ziff-Davis 
Consumer Media Group: Family PC, 
the computer magazine for the whole 
family; Computer Gaming World, 
the #1 computer game magazine; or 
ComputerLife, the magazine for your 
computer lifestyle. 


WIN THE 
WINNERS! 

S WEEPS T A KES 



Sports Game All-Stars 

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• Subscribe 11 

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Here’s the move 
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And grab the rock-bottom rate 
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WHAT’S«YOUR 

favorite 

1 NEW FEATURE? 



I have to confess: ^ 

My favorite is the automatic 
CD-Player. Whenever I pop in a 
music CD now, Windows® just 
plays it. I don’t have to fuss around 
with launching a program to do it. 
The CD Player does allow me to 
program the running order and 
skip tracks I don’t want to hear. 
And the system remembers 
it every time. 


Design ed for \ 

IS ) 

Windows®95 / 



Matt Lake and Yhel Li-Ron believe that Windows 95 is a system to intimidate, 
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Ziff-Davis Press books are available at fine bookstores, 
or call 1-800-688-0448, ext. 372. 



Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. 



SOFTWARE 


li'iumui 

ftm-nmuj 


someone who sho 

copyini 

- 800 - 388-74 

OFTWARI 


Y THAT FLOPPY.™ 

Publishers Association 










THE MARKETPLACE 


WANTED 

Experienced game designers, programmers, 
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Circle Reader Service #71 


SSI'S IBM CD-ROM 20 WARGAME CLASSICS 
This unbelievable CD-ROM bundle is ONLY S33 and includes 22 games plus over 50 additional scenarios. Panzer 
General, TANKS!, Battles of Napoleon, War in Russia, Clash of Steel, Pacific War, Warlords, Panzer Battles, etc. 

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$25 Disk 1: Dnepr River Crossing $25 Disk 2: British in Normandy $25 Disk 3: Battles for Okinawa 

$25 Disk 4: Patton in North Africa $25 Disk 5: Guadalcanal/Tarawa $25 Disk 6: Stalingrad Campaign 

$25 Disk 9: Marshalls/Marianas $25 Disk 11: N. African Campaign $35 Disk 20: Barbarossa Campaign 

$39 Steel Panthers $39 WCS3: Rifles $42 Allied General $45 Silent Hunter $42 Panthers-Shadows 

$42 DDay America Invades $48 SU-27 Flanker $46 Battle: Getty. $46 Battle: Ardennes $30 Road Sumler-App. 

$ 1 5 Battles of Napoleon $ 1 5 Gettysburg $ 1 5 Warship $20 Defend Alamo $42 Tigers on the Prowl 

$32 Custers Last Command $15 Mcch Brigade $15 Stellar Crusade $10 War in Russia $42 Last Blitzkrieg 

We also carry Scenario Disks for Empire H, WCS3: Age of Rifles, Battles of Napoleon, WCS2: TANKS! 

$15 Pacific War Editor v. xl.22 $10 Mo' Slo (Slows down fast computers) $15 TANKS! Ultra Modem Database 
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y R&G GAMES a 

PO BOX 5008 Glendale Hts, IL 60139 
We Buy & Sell New & Used IBM Games & Hintbooks 
Top Dollar paid for newer games. Check or 10% more for 
credit usually processed in just 1-2 days. Our Used games 
have boxes disks & manuals more in stock call for prices: 


Absolute Zero CD 

$30 

Mechwarrior 2 CD 

$34 

Aces of the Deep 

$20 

Mission Critical CD 

$26 

Aces of the Pacific 

$15 

Nascar Racing CD 

$34 

Alone in Dark 2 CD 

$23 

NBA Live 95 CD 

$28 

Alone Dark 3 CD 

$28 

NHL Hockey 95 CD 

$28 

Arena Elder Scroll 

$22 

Outpost CD 

$15 

Ascendancy CD 

$33 

Phantasmagoria CD 

$36 

Battle Beast CD 

$22 

Primal Rage CD 

$35 

Caesar 2 CD 

$32 

Ravenloft CD 

$20 

Comnd&Conquer 

$36 

Return to Zork CD 

$20 

Dark Forces CD 

$28 

Sam & Max CD 

$19 

Descent CD 

$22 

Savage Warrior CD 

$30 

The Dig CD 

$33 

Shivers CD 

330 

Dragon Lore CD 

$24 

Sim City 

S16 

EF2000 CD 

$37 

Space Quest 6 CD 

$32 

Earthsiege CD 

$30 

Star Trek Final Unity 

$37 

Fade to Black CD 

$33 

Stonekeep CD 

$35 

Fifa 96 CD 

$29 

System Shock 

S15 

FrtPgSp Bbl 94 

$15 

TankComnder CD 

$30 

Frt Pg Sp Ftbl 95 

$25 

Tie Fighter 

$20 

Full Throttle CD 

$29 

Transport Tycoon 

$24 

Hardball 5 CD 

$30 

Voyuer CD 

$28 

The Hive CD 

$37 

Warcraft CD 

$25 

Lands of Lore CD 

$18 

Witchaven CD 

S30 

MS Flight Sim 5.0 

$23 

Wing Comder 3 CD 

533 


For details or to order Call ® 1-800-525-GAME 

Free UPS Shipping with purchase of $75 or more 
Visa, MC, Discover, Cashier Check, Money Order accepted 
Shipping UPS S5, Overnight S9 COD available S10 
All gamos must have original boxes, disks & manuals (NO COPIES) in good 
condlion, working, compielo & virus tree. Any unacceptable gamos will be relumed 


al your expense $5 ups per box. Prices Subject to change & Availability. 



GOOD NEWS . 
YOUR NEW CAR? 



mrsA 


* New* Car* Assessment* Program* 


COMPUTER 

GAMING WORLD 

175,000 

Volume 
Game Buyers 
Each Buying an 
Average of 1 8 
Games a Year 

Put the power of this 
audience to work for you. 
Call Marci Yamaguchi for 
advertising information 
( 415 ) 357-4920 



FREE PRODUCT 


NFORMATION 


we 


IT’S AS EASY AS 1,2,3 


CIRCLE FOR FREE INFORMATION 


1. Fill in your name and address and check oil 2. Circle the numbers on the card lhal correspond to 3. The literature will be mailed lo you from I 

your answers lo Ihe seven research questions. Ihe ads or articles you'd I ike more inlormalion about. Ihe advertiser free of charge. | 

Void after August 31, 1996 


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1. What Is Ihehighest level ol education that 



03. □ Amiga 

04. □ Dedicated game machine 

05. □ None 


Oi.DI 


Intel, what level? (Check one only) 


4. Do you own (or plan lo buy In ncit 6 months) 
a CD-ROM? (Check one only) 

01. □ Own 

02. □ Plan to buy (6 months) 


often do you us 
ck one only) 
)nce a week 


01.0 Or 

02. 0 Once every two to thi 

03. DOnce a month 

04. □ Once every two to three months 

05. □ Once every tour to six months 

06. DOnce a year 

6. Where are you most likely to purchase games? 

(Check all that apply) 

01. □ Independent computer store 04. □ Computer store chain 

02. □ Consumer electronic store 05. □ Direct trom vendor 

03. □ Mass merchandising store 06. □ Mail order 


7. What is your (and others In household) lavorite type 
of game? (Check one in each column) 


01. Strategy 



02. War/Military 




03. Role Playing 




04. Brain Teasers 




05. Card 




06. Sport 




07. Action/Arcade 




OS. Educational 

09. Adventure 





Name 

i 



CGW 5/96-4 

■ ■ . ■ ■ 1 

Title 

1 

Telephone 

1 

Company Name 

1 M 1 1 

Address 

1 1 1 1 . 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 

City 

1 

State 

Zip 

_J 


4. □ Please send me a one-year (12-issue) subscription lo Computer Gaming World for S27.94 
(U.S. price): all other countries add SI 6.00 for additional postage. 


In a Hurry? Fax This Card To: 609-829-0692 







POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE 


%xr 

POBOX 10126 
RIVERTON, NJ 08076-8626 




►FREE 


ADVERTISER INDEX 


{►FREE 


R.S. If 

COMPANY 

PRODUCT 

PAGE 

| R.S. # 

COMPANY 

PRODUCT 

PAGE 

268 

20th Centuiy Fox Entertainment 

Die Hard (On CD-Rorn) 

90 

72 

Media Wave 

Mailorder 

236 

246 

Access Software 

'Hie Pandora Directive 

124 

71 

Media Wave 

Wanted 

228 

65 

Acclaim 

RiscII 

177 

230 

Megamedia Coq>. 

Mega Pak Volume 5 

102 

40 

Accolade 

HardBall 5 

174-175 

125 

Mcgatech Software 

Power Dolls 

110 

42 

Accolade 

Deadlock 

216-217 

126 

Microforum 

Huygens Disclosure 

134 

291 

Accolade 

POed 

194-195 

214 

MicroProse 

Master of Orion 11 

79 

4 

.Acer America Corporation 

Aspire 

81 

215 

MicroProse 

Magic The Catlrering 

71 

77 

ACT Laboratories 

Psycho Pad 

107 

123 

MicroProse 

Civilization II 

154-155 

58 

Activision 

Time Commando 

151 


Microsoft Corporation 

SldeWinder 

10.11 

41 

Activision 

Mcchwanior2: Mercenaries 

163 


Microsoft Corporation 

Windows "95 

69 

39 

Activision 

Hypcrblade 

43 

129 

Military Simulations, Inc. 

Fighting Falcons 

206 

97 

■Activision 

Zork Nemesis 

23-25 

132 

Mindscape 

Dark Crusader-Warhammer 40K 

221 

245 

ActSoft, Inc. 

Mail Order Products 

232 

99 

Mission Control 

Mail Order Products 

240-241 

261 

/American Power Conversion 

Back-UPS Pro 

51 

135 

MPG-NEL 

Multi-Player Carnes 

222-223 

265 

Blizzard Entertainment 

AVarCraftll 

47 

113 

NECTechnologics 

Pedestals 

4,5 

75 

Bunge Software 

Marathon 2 

15 

137 

NevvAVorld Computing 

Chaos Overlords 

44-45 

55 

Capcom 

Rc.l 

188-189 

136 

NevvWorld Computing 

Heroes of Might &• Magic 

75 

60 

Cl 1 Products 

F-16 Series Controllers 

101 

219 

NovastarGame Company 

AVargames 

228 

68 

Chips & Bits 

Mail Order Products 

95-99 

146 

ORIGIN Systems, Inc. 

Wing Commander IV 

29-31 

47 

Cliips&Bits 

Shiloh 

121 

139 

ORIGIN Systems, Inc. 

AH-64D Longbow 

C6 

46 

Chips & Bits 

Playstation Products 

197 

145 

ORIGIN Systems, Inc. 

Wing Commander 111 

180 

61 

Chips &• Bits 

Board Games &’ Role Haying Games 

235 

143 

Philips Media 

Gear Heads 

65 

45 

Cliips&Bits 

Budget Software 

237 

147 

Philips Media 

The DameAVas Loaded 

113 

195 

Cirips & Bits 

Mail Order Adult 

239 

293 

Piranha Interactive Publishing 

Majestic 

16 

74 

Computer Express 

Mail Order Products 

114-115 

280 

Playmates Interactive Enter. 

Into tlie Void 

108-109 

297 

Com|xiterLife 

Find Out 

128 

282 

Playmates Interactive Filter. 

Batttle Arena Toshinden 

153 

78 

Creative Labs 

Soundcards 

201 

283 

Playmates Interactive Enter. 

Earthworm jim PC 1&2 

37 

79 

Creative labs 

8xKits 

203 

277 

PSINet 

Pipeline USA 

130 

49 

Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. 

Diamond Products-A'lsual Computing 

146-147 

148 

Pulse Entertainment 

Bad Mojo 

55 

49 

Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. 

Diamond Products-Commiinications 

148-149 

177 

R&C Carnes 

Used Came Software 

228 

170 

Discover Communications, Inc. 

DiscoveryCD-Rom 

169 

151 

SanctuaryWoods 

Orion Burger 

166 

210 

Domark Software 

Total Mayhem 

56-57 

228 

Sierra On-line 

Silent Thunder 

198 

4 

EpicMegaCames, Inc. 

Extreme Pinball 

13 

155 

Siena On-Line 

EarthSiege2 

179 

92 

Falcon-Northwest 

Falcon MACHV 

234 

153 

Sierra On-Line 

Shivers 

87,89,91 

70 

FormGen,Inc. 

DukeNukem3D 

1 

252 

Simon & Schuster 

StarTrek-Klingon 

132 

247 

FomiGen,lnc. 

Xenopliage 

53 

163 

Sir-Tech 

Wizardry Gold 

61 

43 

FomiCen,lnc. 

ShadowAVarrior 

159 

162 

Sir-Tech 

Jagged Alliance Deadly Games 

131 

84 

Forte Teclinologies 

VFX1 Headgear 

2,3 

164 

Sir-Tech 

Shadows Over Rivn 

133 

93 

Gamer’s Gold 

Mail Order Products 

238 

166 

Sir-Tech 

Nemesis a A\ ; izardry Adv. 

135 

234 

Gametek 

MicroMachincTurlx) Tournament 

142 

4 

SPA 

Win Tire Winners! Sweepstakes 

224 

235 

Gametek 

War College 

62 

160 

Spectrum Holobyte 

Top Gun 

137 

295 

Gateway 2000 

Destination 

83-86 

159 

Stereo Graphics 

SimulcyesWGoggles 

105 

73 

Gokfl ree Enterprises 

Cylindris 

88 

209' 

Strategic Simulations, Inc. 

Fantasy General 

117 

4 

Grolier Interactive 

Greg Nonnan Golf 

170 

208 

Strategic Simulations, Inc. 

SU-27 

127 

224 

Hayes Microcomputer Prod. 

Accura 288 DSVD Modem 

92 

4 

SyncronysSoftcoqr 

SoftRam 

232 

217 

PMotion 

A'’ittualCIiess 

139 

211 

TAC Systems 

Joystick Gun 

16S 

103 

P. Motion 

Knight sCliase 

41 

167 

The Avalon Hill Game Co 

AAhoden Sliips &• Iron Men 

21 

4 

Intel Coip. 

Pentium Overdrive Product 

27 

161 

ThrustMaster.inc. 

F-16 FLCS &• F-16TQS 

205 

201 

Interact Accessories, Inc. 

INTERACT’ PC Game 

C5 

121 

'IhunderSeatTeclinologies 

TluinderScat 

164 

106 

Interactive Mage 

Destiny 

213 

250 

Time AVanier Interactive 

Return Fire 

215 

107 

Interactive Magic 

Capitalism 

123 

222 

UBI Soft, Inc. 

Rayrnan 

157 

108 

Interactiv e Magic 

American Civil War 

219 

194 

United CD-Rom 

Mail Order Prrxluets 

233 

58 

Interplay Productions, Inc. 

Soccer 

173 

80 

Velocity Development 

Strife 

165 

63 

Interplay Productions, Inc. 

Conquest 

34-35 

180 

VicTokai, hie. 

Deadline 

208 

66 

Interplay Productions, Inc. 

Descent 11 

145 

239 

Virgin Interactive Entertain. 

Toonstiuck 

209,211 

111 

KOEI 

FLO 2 

210 

181 

Virgin interactive Entertain. 

Command &■ ConqnerCovcrt Ops 

38-38 

86 

legend'RandomSoft 

Mission Critical 

184-185 

275 

Virtual I/O 

i glasses 

8,9 

186 

looking ClassTechnologies 

Terra Nova 

77 

133 

AVorid Wide Gaming, Inc. 

Suzerainty 

73 

116 

LucavArts Entertain. 

'lire Dig 

140-141 

299 

Matrix Entertainment 

Cyhcria2 

161 

117 

LucasArts Entertain. 

Indy Desktop 

172 

290 

ZD Net 

ZD NET 

126 

118 

hrcavArts Entertain. 

Afterlife 

17-19 





255 

Maxis 

Mindvvaqr Teaser 

119 


’Pleasesee achvitvxment [nr contact information 






HOT 

GAMES 

$39.95 

$33.95 

$29.95 

$18.95 

$36.95 

$35.95 

21 AND OVER 


Mech Warrior 2 

Myst 

Sim City 2000 

PGA Tour 96 

Sey More Butts 2 

Vampires Kiss 

Intimate Possibilities 

Latex 

Virtual Sex Shoot 

$36.95 1 

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SIEGEL V. SYNCRONYS, et al. 

Case No. 95 CH 12257 
SUMMARY NOTICE OF 

CLASS ACTION AND 
PROPOSED SETTLEMENT 
TO: ALL PERSONS WHO PURCHASED 
SOFTRAM OR SOFTRAM95 

The purpose of this summary notice is to inform all 
Class Members of the proposed settlement of the 
lawsuit brought against Syncronys Softcorp. in the 
Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. As explained in 
detail in a notice of class action and proposed settle- 
ment which will be distributed by mail (the “Mailed 
Notice”), if you purchased SoftRAM or SoftRAM95 on 
or before March 15, 1996, you are a member of the 
Settlement Class and your rights will be affected by 
the legal proceedings in this action. You are encour- 
aged to read this Notice and the Mailed Notice in their 
entireties. You have a right to request exclusion from 
the Settlement Class but you must do so by June 15, 
1996 by following the procedures outlined in the 
Mailed Notice. If you do not request exclusion from 
the Settlement Class, the terms of the settlement and 
judgment will be binding as to you. 

Generally, the proposed settlement, which has 
been preliminarily approved by the Court, provides 
that in exchange for releasing all claims against 
Syncronys Softcorp. and its distributors and 
retailers in connection with SoftRAM or SoftRAM95, 
Class Members may be entitled to (1) a full refund or 
a free software upgrade or free software, at the Class 
Member’s election, and (2) coupons which may be 
used in connection with the purchase of other 
Syncronys products. A hearing will be held on June 
24, 1996 at 10:30 a.m. before the Honorable Aaron 
Jaffe in Courtroom #2405, Circuit Court of Cook 
County, Illinois to determine whether the proposed 
settlement, including payment of attorneys’ fees, is 
fair, reasonable and adequate, and whether a final 
judgment should be entered approving it and dis- 
missing the lawsuit against Syncronys. You may 
appear personally or by counsel; if you do not appear 
you will be represented by Class Counsel. To object, 
you must file a written objection, received by the 
Court by June 15, 1996. 

IF YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE SET- 
TLEMENT CLASS AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE MAILED 
NOTICE, YOU SHOULD REQUEST A COPY BY TELEPHONE 
(1-800-335-4059). PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT 
FOR INFORMATION. ALL QUESTIONS RELATING TO 
THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT SHOULD BE DIRECTED 
IN WRITING TO THE PLAINTIFFS’ CLASS COUNSEL, 
LARRY D. DRURY, ESQ., 180 NORTH LA SALLE ST., 
#2416, CHICAGO, IL 60601, OR BEN BARNOW, ESQ., 
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IBM STRATEGY H IBM TRADITIONAL 


1001 Nights ol Doom CD 
Castle Wolfonslein 3D Ms'ri 
Castle Wolfonslein CD 



Beneath a Slool Sky CD S19 

Blue Force: Noxt of Kin S19 

Champions of Krynn CD SI 6 

Chaos Continuum CD SI 2 

Chronomaster CD SI 9 

DOA CD S5 

Flight of the Amazon Queen S9 
Fortress of Dr. Radiaki or CD SI 5 
FourplayWIN SI 2 

Gabriel Knight S19 

Gobliiins CD 


5th Dimension CD 
Aliens Ale My Babysitter 
Chaos Engine CD 
Creepers 
Crime Patrol CD 
Gobliiins 3 
Gorg CD 

Mefal 8 Lace Upgrade 
Rotox 

Sink or Swim CD 
Sleepwalker 
Soccer Kid 

Super Arcade Games CD 
Tetris Classic WIN CD 
Top 100 Games V. 2 CD 




S9 


Hand of Fate 

Hell Cab CD $19 

Inca 2 S16 

Indy Jones Fate Atlantis CD SIS 
Jack tho Ripper CD S19 

King's Quest 6 OEM or CD S15 
Kronolog: Nazi Paradox SI 6 
Lost Files of Shorlock CD S15 
Man Enough CD SIS 

Morph Man CD St 9 

Nerves of Slool CD $19 

Psychoiron CD S17 

Quantum Gale WIN CD SI4 
Return of the Phantom $16 
Rex Nebular Cos Gen Ben S12 
Secret Monkey Island SI 2 
Simon tho Sorcerer SI 9 



Dinosoft Typing Tutor S10 
Dyno-Quest $9 

EcoQuest SO 

Principles of Chemistry S19 
Quarky Quaysoo's Turbo Sci StO 
Super Solvers: OulB'od 35 S 1 9 
k Plus! Spanish S19 



Daring to Fly CD 
Everywhere USA Travel Guide 
NFL Yearbook WIN CD 
One World CD 
Personal Trainer SAT 
Robolech: Macross CD 
U.S. Atlas 


Air Combat Classics SI 9 

Alliod Forcos S9 

Comedy Collection CD SI 9 

Dynamix Bundlo t S9 

Jet Pack CD S!9 

Mystery Collection CD SI 9 
PGA Tour /World Tour Tennis S19 
Populous 2 Powormonger CD SI 5 
Power Hits: Battlotech CD S19 
Take Ton CD St9 

Top 50 Games DOS or WIN SI 9 


Knights of Xentar Upgrade S5 
Lord of the Rings 1 Char Edit'r S9 
Lord of tho Rings Vol 1 8 2 $19 
Magic Candle 2 $12 

MegaTraveller:Zhodani S9 
Monzoberranzan CD $19 

Might 8 Magic 3-5 ea SI 9 
Pool of Radiance $19 

Pools of Darkness $19 

Rings of Medusa S6 

Rome: Pathway to Power $19 
Secret Silver Blades $19 

Sentinel Worlds 1 S9 

Shadow Caster CD $15 

Shadow Sorcerer S9 

Star T rek: Final Unity Demo SI 
Magic S9 

i Trilogy 2 SI 9 

Underworid 1 8 2 CD SI 5 
Underworld 2 $19 

Ultimate Fantasy CD S19 

Adventures $19 




Daemonsgate $19 

Dark Queon of Krynn $19 

Dark Sun 2 CD $19 

Dragon Lore CD $19 

Dungeon Hack $19 

Eye of the Beholder 1 $19 

Eye of the Beholder 2 or 3 ea $15 
Kingdoms: Far Reachos CD $19 
Knights of Legend Char Edit S9 


Air Combat Pi 
Assignment Miami 
Battle Command 
Combat Classics 2 
Cyber Race 
Dawn Patrol 
Dawn Patrol CD 
Delta V 
Elite Plus 
Evasive Action 
F-19CD 

Falcon 3 Scenario 1 
Falcon 3 Scenario 2 
Falcon 3.0 
Fighter Wing 
Flight Sim ToolKit 
Fly the Grand Canyon 
Frontier Elite 2 
Great Naval Battles: See 
Grey Woll WIN CD 
Gunship 2000 CD 


Overkill MD 2 
MotalTech: Speech Pack 
Precision Approach 
Privateer or CD ea 
Real Weather Pilot 
Renegade CD 
Retribution CD 


rif CD 


Is CD 


to CD 


Wing Commandor $18 

Wing Commander 1 Deluxe $19 
Wing Commandor 2 Deluxe $t5 
Wing Commander Academy $15 
Wing Commandor Armada $15 


World Circ 
X-Wing Mission Disk 2 


APBA Baseball S19 

Avalanche Interactive CD S19 
Brett Hull Hockoy '95 CD SI 4 
ESPN Sports Shorts CD $9 
Hard Ball 3 Collection CD S14 
Hardball 3 Players Disk St 2 
International Sports Challenge S9 
International Sports Challenge S6 
Jack Nicklaus Clip Art S3 

Jack Nicklaus Course Disk 5 S3 
J Nicklaus SE Course 1 or 2 ea S3 
Jordan In Flight CD $13 

Links Pro 3B6 CD $19 

Links Pro 386 Golf $16 

Live Action Football CD $12 
ML Personal Pro Golf $19 
NFL Coaches Club $14 

NFL Video Football $12 

NHL Hockoy '94 CD $12 

PGA Tour Golf Add-On CD S19 
Power Hits: Sports S6 

ProFootball Analyst 92 Edition S6 
Serious Soccer S9 

Sport Accolade Greatest Hits 2 SI 2 
Sporting Triangle S3 

Too Time CD S19 

Tie Break Tennis S6 

Tom Landry Football S19 

Tony LaRussa Baseball S6 
Tony Larussa Baseball 2 DB3 S3 
Unnecessary Roughness $9 
Unnecessary Roughness '95 $15 
Wayne Gretzky Hockey 3 $12 

World Hockey 95 CD $19 


Arctic Baron IBM CD 
Battlo Islo 2200 CD 
Bailies of Destiny 
Caosar CD 

Clash of Steel 
Colonization or CD 
Conquer for Windows 
Conquorod Kingdoms 


Crisis in the Kremlin S9 

Dominus CD $19 

Empire Deluxe Scenario 1 S6 

Fort Apache $16 

Gettysburg: Turning Point $15 

Grandest Floot $16 

Heirs to the Throne $19 

Jutland CD $19 

Machlavelli The Prince CD $19 

Millenium S6 

Pirates Gold WIN CD $19 

Railroad Tycoon CD S 1 4 

Realms SI 6 

Rules of Engagement S12 

Rules of Engagement S6 

Sabre Team S19 

Sim City 2000 Seen 1 WIN S14 

Sim City 2000 Scenario S12 

Sim City Classic Graphics Set SI 4 


ilk CD 


Star Legions 


Origamo 

Perfect Partner Bridge Wlf 
Power Poker WIN CD 
Prfsr Zany's Giveaways Cl 
Prfsr Zany's Jokes. Riddle 


Puzzle Gallery 1 S6 

Saturday Night Live Annvrsry SI 6 
Scrabble Deluxe CD SI 9 

Solitaire WIN $19 

Solitaires Journey SI 6 

TV Guido Crossword WIN CDS19 
Take Your Best Shot CD $20 
Take-A-Break Crossw'rds CD $19 


iaCD 


S16 

S19 


S15 

S10 


Tegel's Mercenaries $12 

Terminator 2 Chesswars CD $16 
Warlords S6 

Warlords 2 $19 


Bubblegum Crisis Scr'n Saver $19 
Dogz CD WIN 95 S19 

Doom 2 Screen Saver $19 

H.R. Giger Screen Savor $ 1 8 


3D-IT WIN CD S9 

Bridge Olympiad S 1 6 

CD Rom'ix 2 Prime CD S9 

CD-Romix 3 Free X CD $9 
Casino Gambler Kit SI 9 

Demon Blue S6 

Dr Thorp's Mini Blackjack S6 
Elements SIB 

Even More Incredible MachineS19 
GamePack CD 2 CD S10 

Interplay’s Classic Collodion S9 
Lodoss War 1 CD $18 

Lodoss War 2 CD $18 

Lodoss War 3 CD $18 

Lodoss War 4 CD $18 

Maurice Ashley's Chess CD $12 
NFL 75 Seasons WIN $12 


Universal Ni 
Video Game Solution CD 2 SI 6 
Virtual Reality Studio 2 
Virtual Vegas CD WIN 
Word Hunt WIN CD 


B-24 S15 

Banzai S9 

Battles ol Napoleon S15 

Charge of the Light Brigade S16 
Civil War No Greater Glory SI 6 
Conflict: Korea SI 5 

D-Day: Begining of t' End CD S15 
Defend the Alamo S19 

Dreadnoughts Bismark S9 

Fields of Glory CD SI 4 

Fifth Fleet Seen Mod t S19 
Flight Command'r 2 Ms'n Bldr S19 
Gary Grigsby Pacific War S19 
Gary Grigsby's War in Russia S19 
Harpoon 2 Battle Set 2 S19 

Harpoon 2 Battle Set 4 CD S20 
Harpoon Classic CD S19 

Harpoon Classic WIN CD Si 9 
Harpoon Designer Series 1 S9 

Harpoon Designer Series 2 S9 

High Command SI 9 

Kampfgruppe 


SI 5 


S9 

MacArthur's War SI 6 

Panzer General SI 9 

Rebel Charge: Chicamagua S15 
Second Front 
Shiloh 

Storm Across Europe S12 

Task Force 1942 $16 

The Great War $19 

Typhoon of Steel S15 

UMS 2 Planet Editor $4 

V Victory Market Garden S19 

V Victory Market Garden CD $12 

V Victory Veiikye Luki SI 9 

V Victory Veiikye Luki CD S12 

V Victory Utah Beach CD S12 

Waterloo S9 

When Two Worlds War CD SI 5 

White Death S19 


OVERNIGHT SHIPPING in US $4 per order. Mail to Canada, PR, HI, AK, APO, FPO $4 per order. Worldwide airmail S6 per item. Handling $2 per shipment. Hardware orders may require additional shipping charges. Visa, MC and Discover accepted. 
Checks held 4 weeks. Money Orders under $200 same as cash. COO $8. Detectives replaced with same product. Most items shipped same day. Shipping times may vary. Price/availability may change. All sales (Inal. Call lor details. 

Circle Reader Service #45 - chips* bits inc 


CGWS96BUDGET 1 





















CD-RIDDLEOF MASTER L 
CD-RISE OF THE ROBOTS 
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CD-CRITICAL PATH 
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CD-DAEOALUS ENCOUNT 
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ADULTS ONLY = 800 - 273-7910 

PO BOX 14 DEPT 10673 HANCOCK, VT 05748 INT’L 802-767-3033 FAX 802-767-3382 SOURCE 10673 

OVERNIGHT SHIPPING IN US $4 PER OROER. Mall to Canada, PR, HI, AK, APO, FPO $4 per order. Worldwide airmail $6 per item. Handling $2 per shipment. Hardware orders may require additional ship- 
ping charges. Cannot guarantee Customs clearance. Order at your own risk. Visa, MC and Discover accepted. Checks held 4 weeks. Money Orders under $200 same as cash. COD $8. Defectives replaced 
with same product. Most items shipped same day. Shipping times may vary. Price/availability may change. All sales final. Restrictions apply. Call (or details. MUST BE AN ADULT TO OROER. 


•VIRTUAL 
VALERIE 2' The j 
queen of cyber- 
sex is back! Virtual 
Valerie 2 is the ulti- i 
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After entering the 
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lighting, camera 
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'VIRTUAL 
SEX SHOOT' 
Imagine being 
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create your own visual fantasy by 
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‘ROMSOFT 6 PACK’ Double Down, Doors of 
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what you'll get in this sexy 6 pack! 6 CD'S $39 



'SEXY SIX PAK’ 
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Casting Couch $44 
Club Cyberlesque $29 
Come Play With Me $36 
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Cyber Strip Blk Jck$36 
Cyber Strip Poker $36 
Cyberpeep 2 $24 

Designer Bodies $36 
Desktop Mistress $49 
Dirty Debutantes 2 $39 
Dirty Tricks S46 
Diva X Ariana S38 
Diva X Rebecca S38 
Dream Machine $36 
Dream Machine 2 $49 
Fun House $39 
Girlfriend Teri $39 
Girlfriend Tracy $39 
Golden Wrds In Sex $24 
Heidi's House $39 
Hollywood Bdy Dble$44 
Hot Slots $37 

Hump Towers $39 
Intimate Posslbllit's$39 
Japan Interactive $44 
Latex $44 

Make Y'r Own Orgy $32 
Midnight Stranger $45 
Mind Teazzer 2 $32 

Mystik Mistress $36 
Nasty Parts $42 
Net Erotique $39 
Neurodancer $39 
Nick Steele P.l. S39 
Night Owl 18 $29 

Nightwatch 1-2 ea $39 
Nightwatch 3 S49 

Penetration $19 
Penthouse 3-5 ea $59 
Penthouse 6 $52 

Pleasure Zones $33 
Poker Party $45 
Porno Poker $44 
Private lnvestigator$49 
Private Pl'sre Park 2 $49 
Private Prison $44 
Romsoft 6 Pack ea$39 
Romsoft 3 Pack $29 
Scissors N' Stones $29 
See Some 3 Some $39 
Sorority House $34 
Sorority Sex Kittens $42 
Space Sirens ea S29 
Strip Black Jack $44 
Strip Poker Pro 2 S36 
Teresa May S44 
Texas Table Dance $24 
The Islnd Grl Rsort $39 
The Passion $39 
Time Warp $52 
Vampire's Kiss S36 
Virtual Director S39 
Virtual Golden Eyes $44 
Virtual Las Vegas $44 
Virtual Sex $39 
Virtual Sex Shoot S44 
Virtual Valerie 2 S36 
Virtual Vixens $24 
What's Your Name $34 
Wheel ol Fantasy $26 


101 Delights ea $19 
All Night Long $19 
Amateur Models 4 $28 
Amateurs in Act’n 3 $24 
American Blond $24 
Angel of Passion $24 
Annie & Husbands $19 
Anthony's Desire $25 


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Asian Invasion $19 

Asian Paradise $42 

Babe Patrol $19 

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Best of Blonds $26 

Billionaires Blondes $28 
Black Book $34 

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Bustin' Through $24 

Casting Call 2 $36 

Cheating $24 

College Girls $19 

Crazy w/the Heat $24 

Crystal Fantasy $39 

Deep Tush 2 $22 

Dirty Western 2 $25 

Double Down $24 

Endless Passion $19 

Exotic Erotica $19 

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Glamour Girls $22 

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Hippies in Heat SI 6 


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Hot Wired S26 

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Justine $39 

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Night Creatures $26 

Night Trips 2 $25 

Nova Collection ea$19 
Novel Desires S33 


One Nine Hundred SI 9 
Orient X-Press S22 
Oriental Action S26 
Pink Lady Detective S24 


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Poison $24 

Private Moments $25 
Putt’g It All Behind 2 $24 
Racquel Released $24 
Rain Women $38 
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Seduction of Suki $22 
Seductions $24 
Select a Pet 2 S29 

Silent Strangers S24 
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Sin 95 $44 

Sinfully Yours $19 
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South'n Beauties 2 $32 
Stocking Stutters $33 
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Studs & Starlets $26 
Super Model #1 $24 

Superstars of Japan S39 
Sushi To Go $22 
Taboo 12-13 ea $25 


Target of Seduction S26 
Things Change S25 
Tokyo Nightlife S49 
Totally Exposed S24 
Toy's Not Boys $29 
Tracy I Love You S24 
Tracy Loves You $19 
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Urotsukidoji 3 $24 

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Cheating $19 

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Endlessly $26 

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Naked Reunion $26 

Passenger 69 $29 

Passion $29 

Shame $26 

Silent Stranger $19 

Super Model $26 

The Coven $26 

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Vice $26 


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‘0007 VIRTUAL 
GOLDEN EYE' 
The first true 
Virtual Reality 
game that lets 
you use your 
mouse to navi- 
gate through the 
game. You start, 
equipped with several weapons and plen- 
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‘CRYSTAL 
FANTASY' 
Venture through 
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sexiest young 
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b T eauti 0 e's“ 

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beauties bare 
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in more than 500 hot, wet, interactive nude 
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lusty interactive phone conversations. CD S19 




‘GLAMOUR 
GIRLS 2’ 10 
of the most 
beautiful 
women with 
firm, tight 
bodies, 
exposing 
themselves 
to you, on this amazing CD. Over 
40 erotic videos of girls ready and 
waiting to reveal their luscious 
bodies for your eyes only. CD S24 




■ROMSOFT 3 PAK' Captured 
Elegance, Penetration and She’s So 
Sleazy combine to make this 3 pak 
HOT, HOT, HOT! 3 CD’s S29 



•ROMSOFT 6 PACK 2’ Babe Patrol, Hot Dog 
Girts of Florida, Luscious Ladies in Lingerie, 
Extasy Suites, Striptease and A Shot in the Pink 
are what you’ll get in this sexy 6 pack! 6 CD'S S39 


Circle Reader Service # 195 


CGW596A 









Choose iii e playe 
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HALL OF FAME 


W ’ 

I 


elcome to the Cooperstown of Computer Games. Here, 
raised upon pedestals, you’ll find the games that broke 


the records, established the benchmarks, and held gamers in 
delighted trances for hours untold. 


mm 


HIGHLIGHTS 


WAR IN RUSSIA 

Strategic Simulations, Inc., 

1984 



P rior to War in Russia, gamers who 
wanted to play strategic-level 
games that covered the entire 
Eastern Front were restricted to massive 
boardgame designs which covered two or three cafeteria-sized tables at a 
game convention. Computer games were by and large limited to smaller 
actions where tactics were all-important and a strategic perspective either 
non-existent or so abstracted that strategic-level gamers felt the computer for- 
mat was unsuited to the depiction of large actions. With War in Russia, the 
first "monster" game on the computer, Gary Grigsby was able to present the- 
ater-wide action on a wide-scale and give individual gamers the thrill of being 
the theater commander for the first time. Experienced gamers came to dis- 
cover that the Al could be faked out easily in an early move of subterfuge, but 
the game continued to have popularity because of its scale, subject matter 
and suitability for playing by mail (i.e. the save positions were in the right spot 
for players to be able to save their move, send a disk and wait for the return 
of the disk for their next move) or e-mail (sending saved game files at a rapid 
300 baud per second). It was popular among wargamers for as long as the 
Apple II remained alive, and it provided some of the initial research for 
Grigsby’s later Second Front and War in Russia on the IBM, though neither 
had the same game mechanics. 


WASTELAND 

Interplay Productions, Inc., 

1986 



I t is difficult to speak of computer role- 
playing games without invoking the ven- 
erable title, Wasteland. This post-holo- 
caust adventure was set in the Mojave 
Desert regions of California, Nevada and Arizona where the 
players were “rangers," the last remnant of law and order, trying to solve a 
mystery involving both massive atomic mutations and an incursion of aliens 
circa 1950 “B” drive-in movies. The game proved the value of a skill-based 
role-playing system and created interesting algorithms for handling the non- 
player characters. One couldn't simply strip the NPCs of their items as in 
other games; the NPCs had “minds" of their own. Further, although the 
game was combat-intensive and used a computerized form of Michael 
Stackpole’s combat-rich Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes game system 
(still available in boxed form from Flying Buffalo, Inc.), it was replete with 
ethical dilemmas and non-combat puzzle-solving of the most devious sort. 
The story was written by Mike Stackpole, and many of the maps were 
fleshed out by veteran game designers like Liz Danforth and Ken St. Andre. 
Now, years later, Wasteland is still held with great esteem by CGW's readers 
and was most recently available on Interplay’s 10th Anniversary CD-ROM. 


► Inductees Prior To 1989 


Battle Chess (Interplay Productions, 1988) 
Chessmaster (The Software Toolworks, 1986) 
Dungeon Master (FTL Software, 1987) 

Earl Weaver Baseball (Electronic Arts, 1986) 
Empire (Interstel, 1978) 

F-19 Stealth Fighter (MicroProse, 1988) 
Gettysburg: The Turning Point (SSI, 1986) 
Kampfgruppe (Strategic Simulations, 1985) 
Mech Brigade (Strategic Simulations, 1985) 
Might & Magic (New World Computing, 1986) 
M.U.L.E. (Electronic Arts, 1983) 

Pirates (MicroProse, 1987) 

SimCity (Maxis, 1987) 

Starflight (Electronic Arts, 1986) 

The Bard’s Tale (Electronic Arts, 1985) 

Ultima III (Origin Systems, 1983) 

Ultima IV (Origin Systems, 1985) 

War in Russia (Strategic Simulations, 1984) 
Wasteland (Interplay Productions, 1986) 
Wizardry (Sir-Tech Software, 1981) 

Zork (Infocom, 1981) 


Falcon 3.0 

Red Baron 

(Spectrum HoloByte, 1991) 

(Dynamix, 1990) 

Gunship 

Sid Meier’s Civilization 

(MicroProse, 1989) 

(MicroProse, 1991) 

Harpoon 

Their Finest Hour 

(Three-Sixty Pacific, 1989) 

(LucasArts, 1989) 

King's Qoest V 

The Secret of Monkey Island 

(Sierra On-Line, 1990) 

(LucasArts, 1990) 

Lemmings 

Ultima VI 

(Psygnosis, 1991) 

(Origin Systems, 1990) 

Links 386 Pno 

Ultima Underworld 

(Access Software, 1992) 

(Origin Systems, 1992) 

M-1 Tank Platoon 

Wing Commander 1 & II 

(MicroProse, 1989) 

(Origin Systems, 1990-91) 

Railroad Tycoon 

WOLFENSTEIN 3-D 

(MicroProse, 1990) 

(id Software, 1992) 




Computer game programs have grown so massive and the 
number of hardware configurations has become so huge that 
incompatibilities and glitches are frustratingly common. 


Software fixes, or “patches,” for buggy programs have become 
a necessary evil until we reach the golden age of standardized 
platforms and bug-free programs. Red indicates new files. 


Absolute Zero Upgrade: Final 
revision corrects a nasty crash bug 
in the Hammer and Anvil scenarios. 
1/6/96 

Allied General Vl.Ol 
Upgrade: Upgrades AG to version 
1.01. Contains several bug fixes. 
2/8/96 

Battleground: Gettysburg 
Vl.Ol Upgrade: Fixes reported 
bugs and gameplay issues. 1/18/96 

Capitalism Update: Fixes a 
problem with the presidents and 
another rare item bug. 1/11/96 

CivNet Update: Fixes several 
reported problems. 12/8/95 

Command & Conquer V1.19P 
Patch: Includes fixes for all known 
bugs and some game balance 
changes. Works with VI. 07 or 
V1.18p. 1/19/96 

Crusader: No Remorse VI. 21 
Update: Includes several new fea- 
tures and fixes. 12/22/95 

First Encounters V1.06 
Update (English CD 
Version): Fixes reported bugs. 
12/6/95 

Flight Unlimited V2.4S 
Upgrade: Upgrades Flight to ver- 
sion 2.4S. Contains many bug 
fixes. 2/7/96 

Front Page Sports Football 

Pro 96: Fixes several technical 
issues. 1/4/96 

Gabriel Knight 2: Fixes all 
known problems with Gabriel 
Knight CD and speeds up restore of 
save games. 1/5/96 


Hardball 5 Update: Updated 
stats for the end of the 1995 sea- 
son. Rosters updated to end of 
January 1996. 2/16/95 

Harpoon Classic Mac V1.57j 
Update: Fixes several user report- 
ed bugs and adds air-to-air to the 
HDS9 BattleSet. 1/11/96 

Harpoon Classic Windows 
V1.55e Update: Fixes several 
user reported GPFs and adds the 
Windows Scenario Editor. 1/11/96 

Hive Update: Makes the game 
easier. 12/4/95 

MechWarrior 2 DOS Version 
Vl. 1 Update: Fixes several 
things, including the right side tak- 
ing more damage on mechs, 
increased joystick support and 
Windows 95 crash problems. 
11/20/95 

NHL 96 Update: Fixes a variety 
of technical problems, including 
playoff lock-ups or problems with 
saving playoff games to hard disk. 
12/2/95 

PBA Bowling for Windows 

Vl. 10: Incorporates several fixes 
and improvements. 12/27/95 

Riddle of Master Lu V2.05 
Update: Fixes more known prob- 
lems within the original release, 
including jumpy mouse movement, 
switch problems in the billiard 
room. 1/8/96 

Steel Panthers V1.12 Update 
(Unofficial): Lots of fixes by 
Gary Grigsby himself. Note: SSI 
does not support this patch. 
1/15/96 


Stonekeep V1.2 Update: 

Fixes reported bugs. 1/19/96 


SU-27 Flanker V1.03: 

Contains files needed to update 
SU-27 to version 1.03. Includes 
several new features and some 
fixes. 2/14/96 

Wing Commander IV Joystick 
Upgrade: Alternate joystick data 
acquisition routines that allow 
some systems to work properly 
with WC4. 2/25/96 

Thunderscape Vl.l Update: 

Incorporates numerous changes 
and fixes. 1/3/96 

TIE Fighter CD Joystick 
Update: Should cure problems 



SENet 


These patches can usually be 
downloaded from the major on- 
line networks (CompuServe, 

GEnie, ZDNet) and Computer 
Gaming World’s Web Site 
(http://www.zdnet.com/~gaming), 
but can also be obtained from 
individual software publisher's 
BBSes or direct from the publish- 
er with proof of purchase. 


with Microsoft 
Sidewinder 3D Pro, 
Suncom Raptor or 
other joysticks incor- 
porating axes from 
joystick 2. 1/23/96 

Unnecessary 
Roughness '96 
Update: Fixes 
sound and video 
problems. 1/5/96 


^Publisher BBS Numbers 

Many of these patches are available directly from 
the publishers’ bulletin board systems. Call with 
your modem parity settings at N-8-1. 

Accolade (408) 296-8800 
Apogee (508) 368-7036 
Bethesda (301) 990-7552 
Blizzard (714) 556-4602 
Broderbund (415) 883-5889 
Capstone (305) 374-6872 
Creative Labs (405) 742-6660 
Id Software (508) 368-4137 
Impressions (617) 225-2042 
InterPlay (714) 252-2822 
Legend (703) 272-3434 
LucasArts (415) 257-3070 
Maxis (510) 254-3869 
MicroProse (410) 785-1841 
Microsoft (206) 936-6735 
NovaLogic (818) 774-9528 
Origin (512) 328-8402 
Papyrus (617) 576-7472 
Sierra Online (206) 644-0112 
Spectrum HoloByte (510) 522-8909 
SSI (408) 739-6137 or (408) 739 6623 
Virgin Interactive (714) 833-3305 



THE COMPUTER GAMING POLL • A MONTHLY SURVEY OF THE READERS OF COMPUTER GAMING 



You’ve read our take on the latest games, now here’s a chance to see what your fellow gamers think. The CG Top 100 is a monthly 
tally ol game ratings provided by our readers via the CG Poll ballot found in each issue. Approximately 50 games are rated each 
month, and the results are added to the aggregate results from past months. This historical database serves as a terrific reference for 
what you, the gamers, feel are the best plays in gaming. 



1 

2 

Crusader: No Remorse 

DOOM II 

Origin 
id Software 

9.94 

9.77 

3 

Dark Forces 

LucasArts 

9.70 

4 

Virtual Pool 

Interplay 

9.52 

5 

6 

Magic Carpet 

System Shock 

Electronic Arts 

Origin 

9.48 

9.19 

7 

The Need For Speed 

Electronic Arts 

9.12 

8 

Heretic 

id Software 

9.08 

9 

Hexen 

Raven Software 

9.04 

10 

Earthworm Jim 

Activision 

8.90 


TOP ADVENTURE GAMES 


f*1 

Gabriel Knight 2 

Sierra 

10.13 

2 

Shannara 

Legend 

9.48 

3 

Full Throttle 

LucasArts 

9.44 

4 

Woodruff & Schnibble 

Sierra 

9.28 

5 

Relentless 

Electronic Arts 

9.12 

6 

Ecstatica 

Psygnosis 

9.09 

7 

Under A Killing Moon 

Access 

9.04 

8 

Legend of Kyrandia 3 

Virgin 

8.94 

9 

Phantasmagoria 

Sierra 

8.91 

10 

Riddle of Master Lu 

Sanctuary Woods 

8.91 


TOP CLASSIC/PUZZLE GAMES 



Monopoly 

WestwoodA/irgin 

9.09 

2 

Incredible Toons 

Dynamix 

8.86 

3 

Incredible Machine 2 

Sierra 

8.85 

4 

You Don’t Know Jack 

Berkeley 

8.79 

5 

Clockwerx 

Spectrum Holobyte 

8.25 

6 

Hodj n’ Podj 

Virgin Interactive 

8.16 

7 

Shanghai-Great Moments 

Activision 

7.75 

8 

Lemmings Chronicles 

Psygnosis 

7.47 

9 

Multimedia Celebrity Poker 

New World Computing 

7.28 

L_ 

Bridge Olympiad 

QQP 

7.28 


[ TOP SIMULATION 

'SPACE COMBAT GAMES 


1 

Wing Commander 3 

Origin 

10.57 

2 

TIE Fighter 

LucasArts 

10.26 

3 

Mech Warrior 2 

Activision 

10.05 

4 

NASCAR Racing 

Papyrus 

10.01 

5 

U.S. Marine Fighters 

Electronic Arts 

9.76 

6 

U.S. Navy Fighters 

Electronic Arts 

9.60 

7 

Wings of Glory 

Origin 

9.56 

8 

Flight Unlimited 

Looking Glass 

9.51 

9 

EF2000 

Ocean 

9.44 

10 

Aces of the Deep 

Dynamix 

9.38 


TOP SPORTS GAMES 



NBA Live’95 


9.86 

2 

NHL Hockey 

EA 

9.77 

3 

Front Page Sports Football 95 

Sierra 

9.64 

4 

FPS Football Pro 96 

Sierra 

9.21 

5 

PGA Tour Golf 486 

Electronic Arts 

8.93 

6 

Front Page Sports Baseball 

Dynamix 

8.76 

7 

Hardball IV 

Accolade 

8.70 

8 

Hardball 5 

Accolade 

8.28 

; 9 

Tony La Russa 3 

Stormfront Studios 

8.12 

10 

Rugby World Cup 1995 

Electronic Arts 

7.91 


| TOP STRATEGY GAMES 

Pi 

Warcraft II 

Blizzard 

10.46 

2 

X-COM 

MicroProse 

10.37 

3 

Command & Conquer 

Virgin 

10.03 

4 

Heroes of Might & Magic 

New World Computing 

9.92 

5 

Jagged Alliance 

Sir-Tech 

9.81 

6 

Master of Magic 

MicroProse 

9.66 

7 

Warcraft 

Blizzard 

9.64 

8 

X-COM: Terror from the Deep 

MicroProse 

9.38 

9 

Warlords II Deluxe 

SSG 

9.27 

10 

VGA Planets 

Tim Wisseman 

9.00 


w- S 

TOP ROLE PLAYING GAMES 


1 

Anvil of Dawn 

New World Computing 

9.19 


2 

Might & Magic: Clouds of Xeen 

New World Computing 

9.07 


3 

Ravenloft: StoneProphet 

SSI 

8.98 


4 

Wolf 

Sanctuary Woods 

8.64 


5 

Stonekeep 

Interplay 

8.38 


6 

Menzoberranzan 

SSI 

8.26 


7 

Ravenloft 

SSI 

8.16 


8 

Mordor 

TDA 

8.00 

■ 9 

Druid 

Sir-Tech 

7.70 

■ ™ 

Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager 

SSI 

7.64 


[ _ TOP WARGAMES 

r* 1 

Panzer General 

SSI 

10.46 

2 

Steel Panthers 

SSI 

10.38 

3 

Battleground: Gettysburg 

Talonsoft 

9.94 

4 

Rise of the West 

RAW 

9.63 

5 

Flight Commander 2 Mission Bldr Avalon Hill 

9.48 

6 

Stalingrad 

Avalon Hill 

9.38 

7 

Flight Commander 2 

Avalon Hill 

9.35 

8 

Custer’s Last Command 

Incredible Simulatio 

9.12 

9 

Tanks 

SSI 

9.00 

10 

Tigers on the Prowl 

HPS Simulations 

8.97 


TOP 100 CAMES 





w 1 

Wing Commander 3 

Origin 

SI 

10.57 


Warcraft II 

Blizzard 

ST 

10.46 

☆ 

Panzer General 

SSI 

WG 

10.46 


4 

Steel Panthers 

SSI 

WG 

10.38 


5 

X-COM 

MicroProse 

ST 

10.37 


6 

TIE Fighter 

LucasArts 

SI 

10.26 


r7 

Gabriel Knight 2 

Sierra 

AD 

10.13 


8 

MechWarrior 2 

Activision 

SI 

10.05 


9 

Command & Conquer 

Virgin 

ST 

10.03 


10 

NASCAR Racing 

Papyrus 

SI 

10.01 


11 

Battleground: Gettysburg 

Talonsoft 

WG 

9.94 

i 

r 

Crusader: No Remorse 

Origin 

AC 

9.94 


13 

Heroes of Might & Magic 

New World Computing 

ST 

9.92 

i 

t 14 

NBA Live ‘95 

Electronic Arts 

SP 

9.86 


15 

Jagged Alliance 

Sir-Tech 

ST 

9.81 


16 

DOOM II 

id Software 

AC 

9.77 



NHL Hockey 

EA 

SP 

9.77 


18 

U.S. Marine Fighters 

Electronic Arts 

SI 

9.76 


19 

Dark Forces 

LucasArts 

AC 

9.70 


20 

Master of Magic 

MicroProse 

ST 

9.66 


21 

Front Page Sports Football 95 

Sierra 

SP 

9.64 



Warcraft 

Blizzard 

ST 

9.64 


23 

Rise of the West 

RAW 

WG 

9.63 


24 

U.S. Navy Fighters 

Electronic Arts 

SI 

9.60 


25 

Wings of Glory 

Origin 

SI 

9.56 


26 

Virtual Pool 

Interplay 

AC 

9.52 


27 

Flight Unlimited 

Looking Glass 

SI 

9.51 


28 

Flight Commander 2 Mission Bldr Avalon Hill 

WG 

9.48 



Shannara 

Legend 

AD 

9.48 



Magic Carpet 

Electronic Arts 

AC 

9.48 


31 

EF2000 

Ocean 

SI 

9.44 



Full Throttle 

LucasArts 

AD 

9.44 


33 

Stalingrad 

Avalon Hill 

WG 

9.38 



X-COM: Terror from the Deep 

MicroProse 

ST 

9.38 



Aces of the Deep 

Dynamix 

SI 

9.38 


36 

Flight Commander 2 

Avalon Hill 

WG 

9.35 


37 

Woodruff & Schnibble 

Sierra 

AD 

9.28 


38 

Warlords II Deluxe 

SSG 

ST 

9.27 


39 

FPS Football Pro 96 

Sierra 

SP 

9.21 


40 

System Shock 

Origin 

AC 

9.19 

1 


Anvil of Dawn 

New World Computing 

RP 

9.19 


42 

Custer’s Last Command 

Incredible Simulatio 

WG 

9.12 



The Need For Speed 

Electronic Arts 

AC 

9.12 



Relentless 

Electronic Arts 

AD 

9.12 

7 

^ 45 

Monopoly 

Virgin Interactive 

CP 

9.09 



Ecstatica 

Psygnosis 

AD 

9.09 


47 

Heretic 

id Software 

AC 

9.08 


48 

Might & Magic: Clouds of Xeen 

New World Computing 

RP 

9.07 


49 

Hexen 

Raven Software 

AC 

9.04 



Under A Killing Moon 

Access 

AD 

9.04 


Reader Poll 0140 



51 

Tanks 

SSI 

WG 

9.00 


VGA Planets 

Tim Wisseman 

ST 

9.00 

53 

Ravenloft: Stone Prophet 

SSI 

RP 

8.98 


CivNet 

MicroProse 

ST 

8.98 

55 

Tigers on the Prowl 

HPS Simulations 

WG 

8.97 

56 

The Grandest Fleet 

QQP 

ST 

8.96 


Perfect General II 

QQP 

WG 

8.96 

58 

Legend of Kyrandia 3 

Virgin 

AD 

8.94 


Transport Tycoon 

MicroProse 

ST 

8.94 

60 

PGA Tour Golf 486 

Electronic Arts 

SP 

8.93 

61 

Riddle of Master Lu 

Sanctuary Woods 

AD 

8.91 


Phantasmagoria 

Sierra 

AD 

8.91 

63 

Earthworm Jim 

Activision 

AC 

8.90 

64 

Warhammer 

Mindscape 

ST 

8.88 

65 

Descent 

Interplay 

AC 

8.86 


Incredible Toons 

Dynamix 

CP 

8.86 

67 

Incredible Machine 2 

Sierra 

CP 

8.85 

68 

Serf City 

SSI 

ST 

8.80 

69 

You Don’t Know Jack 

Berkeley Systems 

CP 

8.79 

70 

Harpoon II 

Three-Sixty Pacific 

WG 

8.78 

71 

Front Page Sports Baseball 

Dynamix 

SP 

8.76 

72 

Star Trek: TNG, Final Unity 

Spectrum HoloByte 

AD 

8.75 

73 

1830 

Avalon Hill 

ST 

8.72 

74 

The Dig 

LucasArts 

AD 

8.71 

75 

Hardball IV 

Accolade 

SP 

8.70 

76 

Buried In Time 

Sanctuary Woods 

AD 

8.65 

77 

Mortal Kombat 3 

GT Interactive 

AC 

8.64 


Wolf 

Sanctuary Woods 

RP 

8.64 


King’s Quest VII 

Sierra 

AD 

8.64 

80 

Caesar II 

Sierra 

ST 

8.62 


Superheroes of Hoboken 

Legend 

AD 

8.62 

82 

1942 Pacific Air War Gold 

MicroProse 

SI 

8.61 

83 

Magic Carpet 2 

EA 

AC 

8.56 

84 

SU-27 Flanker 

SSI 

SI 

8.53 

85 

Werewolf vs. Comanche 

NovaLogic 

SI 

8.50 


Allied General 

SSI 

WG 

8.50 


Death Gate 

Legend 

AD 

8.50 

88 

FX Fighter 

GTE Entertainment 

AC 

8.46 

89 

1942 Pacific Air War 

MicroProse 

SI 

8.45 

90 

Apache 

Interactive Magic 

SI 

8.43 


Future Shock 

Bethesda 

AC 

8.43 


Dark Legions 

SSI 

AC 

8.43 

93 

Lords of the Realm 

Impressions 

ST 

8.42 

94 

Sim City CD-ROM 

Interplay 

ST 

8.40 

95 

Stonekeep 

Interplay 

RP 

8.38 

96 

Cyclemania 

Accolade 

AC 

8.37 

97 

Fighter Duel 

Philips Media 

SI 

8.35 

98 

Loderunner 

Dynamix 

ST 

8.31 

99 

Hardball 5 

Accolade 

SP 

8.28 


Celtic Tales 

Koei 

ST 

8.28 


Games on unnumbered lines have scores equal to the line above. 7 ^= Top game of type. Red = New Game, AD = Adventure, RP = Role Playing, SI - Simulation/ Space 
Combat, ST = Strategy, WG = Wargame, AC = Action, SP = Sports, CP = Classic/Puzzle. Games are retired after two years and become eligible for the Hall of Fame. 




MARTIN CIRULIS 



What's The 
Deal With... 

Science 


C an somebody 
please explain to 
me why, in an 
industry where at 
least half the titles 
on the shelves at 
any given 
moment involve 
some kind of SF or Speculative bent, 
and a sizable percentage of con- 
sumers would probably consider 
themselves "fans" of SF, the games 
themselves so very rarely do a good 
job with what should be an infinity of 
possibilities? I have a few ideas to 
explain this state of affairs, but most of 
them involve dark Cabals and Entropic 
conspiracies, and my shrink told me 
not to talk about this stuff in public. 

Seriously though, it’s unfortunate 
for us that gaming is relatively new- 
born, compared to SF (which I believe 
is working its way through late adoles- 
cence) and is more vulnerable to “it 
doesn’t matter" syndrome. All the 
problems of a fledgling art form are 
exacerbated when you believe that the 
mechanics of a game are the only 
issue that matters, and that premise or 
even a story is something to be hung 
loosely about the graphics at the end 
of the production run. While it’s cer- 
tainly true that for action or most strat- 
egy games, the gameplay accounts for 
80 percent of the success of the prod- 
uct, I think it's a mistake to ignore the 
fact that a clever and well-thought out 


premise can be the added magic that 
will take a good game over the top into 
the realm of “Great." 

For me, part of the appeal of DOOM 
was its heroic, twisted premise, which 
harkened back to the great Humanist 
SF stories of the '50s and early '60s— 
when there was no humanity-crushing 
force, be it alien or magical, that could- 
n’t be defeated by a smart monkey 
with a big enough gun. It was gen- 
uinely satisfying to take on those 
demons; they may have been torturing 
helpless sinners for the first half of 
eternity, but they looked a little less 
cocky staring down the steel depths of 
a double-barreled Remington in the 
hands of an angry primate. 

Strat titles like Sim-Tex’s Master of 
Orion and the upcoming sequel MOO 
2: Battle of Antares have also benefit- 
ed greatly by having a convincing 
premise, whose implications were 
woven into the game itself. Certainly 
this can partially explain their success 
versus the uninspired fare from 
Impressions (like Space Bucks or When 
Two Worlds War). 

Of course, nowhere is the battle 
between good writing and knee-jerk 
cliche mining more obvious than in 
the realm of the venerable Adventure 
game, the sub-genre where you can 
find every Hollywood investor with 
extra pocket change lurking nowa- 
days-all looking to bankroll story 
ideas so weak that they couldn’t thrive 


recent titles are giving me something 
akin to hope that computer games 
may someday complement SF, instead 
of just propagating its worst qualities. 
While The Dig actually had the wit to 
think an adventure game might benefit 
from dialogue written by a real writer, 
(the stalwart Orson Scott Card), the 
surprising Mission Critical went even 
further in improving the sub-genre by 
making the game serve the “reality” of 
the story. I didn’t have to play Reversi 
or fetch a part from a guy in another 
village once while repairing my rippled 
Battlecruiser. It was wonderful. 

To be honest, though, my optimism 
has been given its greatest lift by such 
recent titles as I have no Mouth And I 
Must Scream and Psychic Detective, 
where the writers were allowed to dis- 
turb and provoke the player, instead of 
just shock and puzzle them. 

If adventure games are going to 
evolve into a valid form of mature 
entertainment on a par with movies 
(as is the hope of all the suits investing 
in game companies), then it’s time to 
leave behind the ‘50s Drive-in "Good 
Enough" thinking, and start treating 
SF like a genre that has been read and 
written by some of humanity’s bright- 
est lights for over 150 years.% 


even in the 
straight-to-video market. While the fail- 
ures and the thinking behind them are 
dreadfully apparent, (witness Byron 
Preiss’s Martian Chronicles and Robot 


: CC A few 
recent titles 
are giving me 
something akin 
to hope that 
computer 
games may 
someday com- 
plement SF. 77 


City: “Hey, let’s take some of the most 
evocative works by two of the Old 
Masters of SF, and reduce them to dri- 
veling adventure game shticks that 
were old when Colossal Cave made it 
big time! The people who read this 
Sci-Fi stuff are all rabid geeks anyway, 
they’ll never know the diff.") a few 


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HAY 1996 


L 



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